Ginger's Adventures IV: Ginger's Journey to the Amazon
by Ginger the Barn Owl
Summary: The Monarchs decide to make an extreme risk for the Tytonic Union's benefit: sending the Trainee owls and pacifist Pit Guardian Unk to form an alliance with strong birds in the distant Amazon Rainforest. Alongside their newfound friends in the Red Macaw Clan, will they be able to end the huge feud between them and the Blue Macaws, while also fending off the dangerous loggers?
1. Prologue

_"That's absolutely insane!" Nyra screeched, uncaring of how loud she was, as the secret space she and Metal Beak were in was practically soundproof when sealed. "Where in the name of Glaux did you ever come up with such an absurd idea!?"_

 _"Call me yoiks," the old Sooty Owl said to his beloved mate. "but I was told it should be done in a dream."_

 _"A...dream?"_

 _"Yes, my dear. And I am quite sure that Glaux on high was communicating to me through it."_

 _"How can you tell?"_

 _"An owl's gizzard is never wrong unless corrupt. And I have a strong feeling in my gizzard that Glaux is telling me that this is right."_

 _"Well, I certainly hope he knows what he's doing if that's the case."_

 _"The only question I have on this is whether or not Ginger and her soldiers will-"_

 _"Wait a minute," Nyra interrupted curtly. "Did you just say 'Ginger and her soldiers'?"_

 _"Why yes. I saw them flying among those colorful birds in the dream I had. I recognized their faces right on the spot."_

 _"But don't you think they're a might young? What if they don't know what they're doing? And isn't it an extremely long flight there? Won't they need assistance!?"_

 _"Nyra, you're getting yourself into a tizzy. I'm not going to send them out there alone."_

 _"Then who will accompany them?"_

 _"Why, Unk will make sure of their well being."_

 _"Unk? You mean...the Pit Guardian?"_

 _"Exactly."_

 _"But he hasn't had any battle training!"_

 _"It's what Glaux wants. Also, toward the vision, all of the birds except for Unk were armed with battleclaws. Something tells me that these colorful birds may be in some need of our assistance."_

 _"Are you sure your gizzard can tell you everything he wants?"_

 _"Oh, I don't just know because I feel it in my gizzard. He told me."_

 _"What!? How!?"_

 _"In the dream, of course. I never saw his face, but I sure heard is voice, and I knew it was him speaking."_

 _"I don't know about this whole thing, though, your Majesty. It seems a bit too...well...out there. And I mean that in more ways than one. Plus, what if they get spotted!?"_

 _"I highly doubt that. That area is home to very few humans, if any at all. Plus, I'm sure those other birds have the brains enough to keep themselves away from them."_

 _"Are you sure about that?"_

 _"I'm positive. Why would Glaux be telling me all of this it we weren't supposed to do anything involving it? Besides, the Tytonic Union needs all of the help it can get if we are ever to keep the Guardians of Ga'Hoole from destroying it. The more the merrier, am I right?"_

 _There was a long pause before Nyra answered the High Tyto._

 _"I...I suppose."_

 _"That's what I like to hear," Metal Beak told her, a reassuring smile on his mostly hidden face. "Now the only question that remains is whether General Ginger and her troops will accept the mission."_

 _"They must. I don't believe they have much of a choice."_

 _"You don't think they will rebel, do you?"_

 _"I'll see to it that they don't. How long until the mission is to be executed?"_

 _"Tonight."_

 _"Toni-TONIGHT!?"_

 _"You heard me, tonight! Stroke of midnight, no hesitation."_

 _"I, but-"_

 _"Abupupupupupup. That is all I have to say. Make haste, my mate. It's near sundown, and there are only a wingfull of hours until their time comes. Make sure the have full gizzards before leaving and make sure none of them are fatigued, then alert them to the task, that is all I ask of you. And trust me, my dear; it shoudln't be hard to convince them once they find out I'm the one who decided on it."_


	2. Chapter 1: A Night of Huge Surprises

"Whoa," Ginger remarked the minute she saw what was on her plate. Kludd, Vaygar, Uklah and Phillip all stared silently at their own meals once they had all sat down in the dining area. On each of the dishes before them was a freshly killed rabbit smothered in barbecue sauce, next to each of which sat a side dish of unshelled nooties forged from the small Ga'Hoole trees in the forest of Tyto. To top off the enormous dishes, they were also given cups of heavily watered milkberry juice as a beverage.

"D-do you think we can eat all of this?" Kludd questioned.

"I'm not sure if we can even fit half of all this in our stomachs," Vaygar added.

"Hey," Uklah exclaimed quietly. "What if it's a test? You know, from Nyra!"

"Would she really make us do something that would make us feel sick to our stomachs?" Phillip retorted.

"I don't know about all of you," Ginger's voice was muffled, as she had already started eating the rabbit. "But I'd start eating before it gets cold! IT'S FRINKING DELICIOUS!"

"Well, no use arguing with that," Kludd agreed. "Even if we don't finish the whole thing. Dig in, fellow Tytos!"

That being said, the owls buried their heads into the freshly killed lagomorphs and began to devour them.

"I certainly hope you enjoy it, young Tytos."

They jerked their heads back up to see that Nyra had entered the room.

"I have a feeling that it may be the last bit of owl-fit food you have for quite a bit."

"What do you mean?" Ginger questioned, a hint of concern in her tone.

"The five of you have been selected for a mission by the Lord High Tyto. And according the location in which it is to take place, I assume there are not a lot of rodents or other game to pick off in the area."

"The only place I can think of with a scarce supply of rodents is the Barrens," Vaygar whispered to Phillip. "But why would they be sending us there? That place is barely inhabitable."

"I know, right?" the Sooty Owl replied.

"I assume you are all well rested for the upcoming mission? You leave tonight at midnight."

"I certainly hope we will be prepared for it," Ginger responded, a bit skeptical, as the exhausting ambush battle between the Guardians of Ga'Hoole and the Pure Ones had only been five days ago, and all of the Pure Ones needed a breather.

"Tonight at midnight?" Phillip questioned, beginning to eat the rabbit again. "Are you sure that's enough time to prepare for the trip to the Barrens?"

"The Barrens?" Nyra churred lightly. "Oh, you're not going to the Barrens."

"We...We're not?"

"You're going far beyond the Kingdoms as we know it. I must tell you that my husband has made a rather...risky decision."

"What's that, and where are we going if it's not the Barrens?" Vaygar was also getting back to chowing down.

"It's...probably best I tell you owls once the time comes to leave. I have to visit St. Aggies now, so...just...chat, I guess."

Not wanting the young owls to further question her, Nyra left for the Canyonlands, leaving the Trainees speechless.

"Um..." Vaygar was blank. "Wha-Where else could we be going if not the Barrens?"

"I have no idea, Vaygar," Ginger answered. "But we best head down to the training ground to work on some of our skills before the moon reaches the top of the sky, huh?"

"Absolutely," Uklah agreed. "But first...let's see how much we can eat off of these babies!"

* * *

...

* * *

The five young Tytos trained on until the stroke of midnight, which was when they rushed out of the area for the Throne Perch, the giant metal perch that Nyra and Metal Beak used as a throne at the end of the Great Hall. Once they made it to the giant hall, they landed at the Throne Perch's base. Nyra and Metal Beak swooped down in front of them from the top of it.

"So, you made it," Metal Beak said. "I'm glad you have decided to accept this mission."

"We have?" Phillip asked without any respect, to which Ginger gave him a light cuff on the back of the head with her starboard wing.

"My soldiers have been questioning on where our mission is to take place," Ginger said formally, as to make up for her tracker's blatant rudeness. "I request your permission to know myself, as my curiosity had also been sparked."

"Sh-should I tell them?" Nyra asked her mate hesitantly.

The old Sooty Owl nodded in response.

"The five of you are to exit the borders of the Owl Kingdoms altogether and explore a large portion of the outside world."

"WHAT!?" Ginger was horrified. Now it was Phillip's turn to give Ginger a blow to the head.

"Alright, owls, don't get physical now," Nyra warned calmly.

Ginger could barely hear her Queen, her imagination having gone into overdrive. What if the Monarchs sent her back to the United States? What if she got lost in another hurricane on the trip and ended up falling to her death into the ocean? And if she did end up surviving the trip alone, what if her parents discovered her? It would all be over. Her life as a Pure One, the friends she'd met on her road to soldierhood, all of it would be gone. Unable to handle all of the terrible thoughts at once, Ginger's eyes rolled back into her head and she collapsed into a dead faint.


	3. Chapter 2: The Mission in Detail

"Ginger? Ging', you alright?"

"Whu...huh?" The young Barn Owl was still a bit dazed, barely having any clear recollection on what had happened, except for the Monarchs telling her something about returning to the outside world. Sitting up, she found Kludd standing by her side, the other trainees behind her.

"I had the most horrible dream," she almost sighed while saying it. "I dreamt that we were being sent to the outside world."

"Um, actually, Ginger," Nyra confronted her soldier. "It wasn't exactly a dream."

"It..." The horror was returning to her. "It was real!?"

"I doubt you have anything to worry about," Metal Beak spoke now, emerging from the shadows cast by the stone walls above them. "You say you hail from Georgia in the United States, General Ginger?"

"Yes, your Pureness," she responded, trying to hide the fear in her voice.

"You aren't going anywhere near there, young'un."

The knot in Ginger's gizzard began to unwind when she heard she was not to return to her homeland, but only slightly.

"Then...where exactly are we going?"

"Is the place dangerous?" Uklah asked the High Tyto.

"It can be for the unprepared owl," he responded. "But you have all been trained well, and I feel that you will have minimal issues executing the mission. As for location? The operation is to take place in the largest tropical wet ecosystem on the face of the earth."

"...That being?"

"The vast, dense and ever famous Amazon Rainforest in Brazil, South America."

"Really!?"

"Indeed. Now, concerning your mission, young owls, there are birds which inhabit the immense rainforest that may prove quite useful in our mission to overtake the Owl Kingdoms. We need all the help we can get, especially with the Guardians of Ga'Hoole trying to interfere with our plans for the future. These birds, called macaws, are about the size of owls, but they are very different from us in many ways. Appearance wise, they have very large and steel-hard beaks, and their feathers are very brightly colored shades of red, green, blue, yellow, and the like. No browns or grays usually. As for their behavior, I assume they are friendly creatures, and from what I've seen, they greatly enjoy flying."

"Flying, you say?" Kludd added himself to the pep talk. "We'll probably know them when we see them."

"NO WAY! That's incredible!" Uklah was still hung up on visiting the South American jungle. "I've always wanted to see what a rainforest looks like!"

"Go to Silverveil then," Phillip told the enthusiastic Barn Owl. "if you want to see a rainforest so bad."

"Silverveil is a deciduous forest, Phillip. What ever made you think that Silverveil is a jungle?"

"I thought you said rainforest."

Uklah sighed in frustration. "Do you even know what a rainforest is?"

"A...forest that...gets a lot of rain?"

"Well...that is a major factor of a rainforest-which is also called a jungle- but it also has to do with the vegetation. The plants growing in Silverveil are very green, and the place does get quite a bit of rain, but it's not a rainforest. The trees that-"

"Alright, Uklah," Nyra interrupted. "You can save your educating for when you actually have some free time on your talons. Right now, you owls must leave."

"On our own?" Vaygar questioned.

"Of course you're not going alone," Metal Beak answered the young Grass Owl. "Unk! Come on out!"

The dull brown Great Horned Owl squeezed himself among the rock crevices and stood beside the old king.

"Oh, I've always wondered what the outside world is like," he remarked. "It must be chock full of wonders, don't you think, young'uns?"

The trainees exchanged nervous glances, not sure if they trusted this seemingly kooky Pit Guardian to lead them to the outside safely.

"Now, young trainees, pay attention to Unk here," Nyra told them. "And follow his commands."

"Yes, your Pureness," was the response she got from all of them before they and Unk headed off to the Half Spire for a clean and powerful takeoff. The minute Metal Beak flew in a separate direction, Nyra called out.

"Oh! Ginger! Will you report here for one moment?"

The Barn Owl heard her, made a steep bank, and flew back to where the white queen was standing.

"Something wrong, your Pureness?"

"Um, just between the two of us," she whispered in her earslit. "I'm pretty skeptical about this whole thing, too. Metal Beak said he was told by Glaux to do all of this stuff in a dream, and while I do trust and believe in the owl upstairs, it seems like a wingfull to me for you young owls to handle, even with Unk's accompaniment. Now, Ginger, if anything happens to Unk, or if he makes an outrageous command, upsurp his position as leader. In all honesty, you're the only owl I trust in the lot of you to lead them through something like this, but you don't want to protest against the High Tyto, trust me. Just go with the flow, I guess, unless something goes awry. Understood?"

"Yes. Understood," Ginger responded, a bit hesitantly, as she was still very afraid of having to go out into the outside world and potentially risk everything she loved in life.

"Good. Now, fly along. Your soldiers will long await your arrival at the Half Spire if you don't hurry."

Understanding the many directions this mission could go in, Ginger left Nyra's presence, looking back at her as she flew away, and wondering whether she would ever see her or any of the owls in the Beaks again, or if she would be swept away by either a storm, a predator, or worse; her parents.

 _Oh, stop worrying about your parents, Ginger!_ she scolded herself. _What are the odds of them travelling all the way down to Brazil from the United States just to come looking for me? And by wing! All the way there!? Don't be ridiculous, Ginger. Owls can't hitch rides on planes, it's not allowed, by both the owl society AND the humans themselves. In fact, what are the odds they'd even think I'd be down there?_

The owl sighed deeply to relieve herself of some of the tension she was dealing with.

 _Stay calm, Ginger. Just focus on the mission, stay alert, and assume role as leader if Unk goes nuts or something, and everything should be fine._


	4. Chapter 3: The Journey Commences

_Take one last look, Ginger._

The Barn Owl stood on the top of the famous Half Spire with her soldiers and the untrained Pit Guardian, looking out upon the rocky land below. The light of the waning moon shone dimly upon it, making it look almost as though it were glowing.

 _It may be the last time you ever see this place._

"See what place?" The voice was Vaygar's, and he was giving her an odd look.

"Oh! Did-did I say that out loud?"

"You did."

"Heh, heh...my bad."

"Alright, kiddos, ready to fly?" Unk said to the five of them.

"Yes sir!" Kludd, Vaygar, Ulkah and Phillip all said at once, raising their port feet as a salute. Ginger remained silent, not at all ready, but lifted her foot like the others anyway.

"Alright! We're clear for takeoff! Vaygar! What's our flight direction?"

"A straight path to the northeast should bring us there within a matter of days! Follow the paw of the Little Racoon until it disappears, then once it does, follow the outer constellation Cygnus!"

"Aye aye, navigator! Spread your wings, owls! We're off! Glaux speed!"

That being said, the six owls spread their wings, ran to the edge of the Half Spire, jumped, then began flying towards the Pacific Ocean.

* * *

...

* * *

"Feast your eyes, soldiers," Ginger said to her troops as they looked out on the horizon. They had reached the place where the land of the Beaks met the Ice Narrows, and there before them stood the vast Atlantic Ocean. The sunrise made the still waters turn indigo, and they were so surprisingly still that they looked like one could walk right over top of it. The owls stared at the scenery in awe.

"The sky is virtually cloudless." It was Uklah who broke the silence. "Best we head out at the break of dusk, you think?"

"As long as the good weather holds up," Vaygar remarked. "Wouldn't want to go flying out into some storm. Not only would it be dangerous on its own, but it would drain plenty of energy out of us, energy that we need in order to cross this here puddle."

"I don't think 'puddle' is the right word, Vaygar. The Pacific Ocean is the largest mass of water on the face of the planet earth, stretching out over 62 million square miles."

"O, rly?"

"Ya, rly."

"Oh, okay."

"Best get some shuteye, huh young'uns?" Unk told them. "We want to conserve plenty of energy before the trip starts tomorrow. Nothing inhabits these parts, so we'll actually be fine sleeping here on the ground."

"Um...Are you sure about that?" Kludd questioned. "Why can't we just sleep in tree hollows?"

"Well, first off, Kludd, there are no trees growing in this frigid, barren area of the Kingdoms. Second, if any bugs scamper by, we could make a quick meal of them to build the energy for tomorrow. It's not as easy to do that in the treetops."

"Huh. I see your point. But won't it be uncomfortable sleeping of this ground? It's hard and covered in frost."

"Not a problem if we all huddle together."

"Well, that's undignified," Phillip whispered to the copper Barn Owl.

"I know, right? Why in the name of Glaux did Nyra ever decide to have this weirdo tell us what to do?"

"Well, I do see a few pluses."

"Those being?"

"Well, I've known Unk ever since I was a fledgling. If there's one thing he's good at, it's peace making. He can bring two opposites together and teach them how to get along brilliantly. Also, he's good with young birds, being a Pit Guardian, so if any of these macaws need him to watch their broods or something he'll happily accept. And if he does, then not only will we have to worry about such things as much, but with him not giving orders, we'll be able to focus more on what the Monarchs want from us."

"Hm. I never really thought of it that way. But let's just hope nobody hears about us doing this in order to maintain body warmth throughout the day."

"Agreed. But I'm freezing. Let's just do this, then forget we ever did, how's that?"

"Sounds fine enough. Hey, Ginger, you in on this? Unk and Uklah have already started a sleep pile."

The owl didn't even budge.

"Ginger?"

"Still nothing. She wasn't even shivering, even though the chilly air could easily pierce an owl's feathers.

"Man, I'm impressed," Vaygar added himself to the conversation. "It's, like, thirty degrees out here and she hasn't even shuddered a bit. How is she so unbothered by it?"

"Probably," Kludd guessed. "It's because she's so bothered by something else."

"She really doesn't want to do this, does she?"

"Not at all, Vaygar. Not at all."

"You think she'll be alright without us today? She could catch something nasty."

"No, she can't," Uklah corrected from the spot she and Unk were lying in. "She had Alba Pox, remember? She's immune to pretty much everything."

"Oh, yeah, that's right."

"Well, if she wants to sleep alone, I guess we're not the ones to make the decision for her," Uklah concluded, lowering her head. "Let's just get some shuteye."

"Agreed." the boy owls said as they headed in along with her and the Pit Guardian.

As her troops bedded down to roost, Ginger looked back at them and sighed.

 _This whole operation is going to make me go yoiks with fear before it even starts. Metal Beak shouldn't have sent..._

She stopped for a moment and tried to think more reasonably.

 _No, it's not his fault. It's my own fault that I'm so uptight about the ordeal. Get over it, Ginger. Stop worrying. Just...get some sleep for now. That's probably the best option. It'll help me relax...And that's definitely imperative in terms of tomorrow's flight._

* * *

...

* * *

"Alright, it's dusk! Wakey, wakey, young'uns!"

" _Whuh_?" Ginger moaned as she stood up shakily. Looking out at the horizon, she saw that the sun was only halfway below the horizon.

"Sundown already?" Kludd questioned as the other owls awoke.

"Go out there and find some grub before we head off! We'll all need the energy for the journey ahead!"

"Ugh," a disgusted Ginger exclaimed. "Of all the owls Metal Beak had to pick to accompany us, why did he have to choose _this_ one?"

Within only five minutes, the six owls had found preys of field mice and eaten them. The moment they were finished, they lined up by the shore.

"Is everybody ready?" Unk called out.

"Yes, sir!" the four owls under him and Ginger answered in unison. Ginger remained silent yet again.

"Ginger?" Unk cocked his head in confusion, not knowing why she was unresponsive. "You ready?"

The Barn Owl sighed heavily, a growl embedded deep within it.

"As I'll ever be, I guess."

"Alright, trainees! Follow my lead!"

Following behind the Great Horned Owl, the Trainee Force built speed with a full power running start towards the ocean, then, the minute their talons touched the wet sand, they spread their wings, flapped, and took off towards the ocean.


	5. Chapter 4: The Harrowing Flight

"Can we land somewhere and take a rest?" Kludd asked after seven hours of flying. The small group of owls had been on the wing ever since dusk, and the moon above them had already begun to descend from its highest point. "My wings hurt."

"Oh, sure, Kludd," Uklah responded sarcastically. "Show us where exactly you were planning on doing so."

"Well, how about over...erm..."

 _Oh, right. We're in the middle of the ocean._

"Um...Good question."

"What do you think we are, Kludd? Ducks? We can't just float on the surface of the ocean like water birds."

"Well, why not?" Kludd began to descend, drawing closer to the still ocean waters. "If they can do it, that why can't we, huh, Uklah?"

"Have you ever wondered what keeps them afloat when they swim?"

"No."

The light colored Barn Owl let out a growling sigh, bothered by her co-trainee's lack of what she figured was very common knowledge.

"Their feathers are coated in oil that makes them buoyant. Owls don't have oil on our feathers like they do. If we try do accomplish such a task, we would sink and drown. And even if we did manage to somehow tread water, how do you expect we fly out of it with no land anywhere? We wouldn't be able to take off with sopping wet wings."

Upon hearing this, an annoyed Kludd rose higher above the ocean and up towards the rest of them.

"Well, sorry, Little Miss Booksmart, but I wasn't brought up by renowned St. Aggies scholars like you were when you left home."

"Save your breath!" Ginger snapped at them from ahead. "You'll both waste it all on fighting and tire yourselves out!"

Startled by her abrupt outburst, the two owls clamped their beaks shut and presumed flying.

"I-is she still upset about leaving the security of the Owl Kingdoms?" Phillip whispered to the Grass Owl flying beside him.

"I'd be willing to bet. She's in an awfully bad mood tonight."

"But don't her parents live all the way up in the Northern Hemisphere? Unless they decided for some reason to take a vacation down to where we're heading, I doubt they'd ever find her. And even if they did, what could they do to stop her from performing her duties as a commander?"

Ginger heard their conversation from behind.

"I'm not worried about them," she answered. "I've developed a new concern."

"What's that?" Vaygar asked her.

"I'm worried about whether we'l make it to our desination without one or more of us collapsing from exhaustion into the ocean below and drowning."

"Oh, Glaux," Phillip grumbled. "Yeah. Thanks for putting that image in my head."

"Put a mouse in it!" she commanded yet again, seeming even more angry than before. Not wanting to make the alreadt tense situation any worse, Unk stayed quiet.

* * *

...

* * *

"Ah, look!" Unk exclaimed at around five in the morning, when the stars were just beginning to fade and the light was just beginning to show over the horizon. "Island!"

"What!? Really!?" Ginger blurted.

It was true. There ahead stood a small, barren island in the middle of nowhere.

 _Well, that certainly is convenient._ Ginger said to herself as they approached the small landmass. Upon landing, Ginger found that this particular island was very flat, and the only vegetation on it were a few types of dry grasses that would most often be found in plains.

"Say," Unk remarked. "This certainly is an interesting place. Looks like some sort of small field on the ocean waters."

"Ha!" Kludd exclaimed. "Where there's terrain like this, there are bound to be rodents of some sort! Come on, trainees, let's see if we can find ourselves some prey!"

"Hey, wait up!" Ginger called as she caught up to her soldiers, who were beginning to poke around the dirt in search of burrows.

"I've found something over here!" Uklah cried before too long. The other owls crowded her. There in the dry soil, hidden among the dry grass, was a small hole in the ground, most likely made by either a mouse or a ground squirrel.

"Now, how exactly do we get them out of there so we can feast?" Vaygar questioned.

"I...I'm not sure, Vaygar. Maybe...Oh! Oh! I've got it!"

"What?" Ginger asked.

"You know how robins peck at the ground to get moles?"

"Yeah."

"They peck at the ground to either disrupt the worms beneath or to make them think a digging mole is after them. You now how that works?"

"No. How?"

"Vibrations. While underground, animals like worms and rodents can't tell what's causing them, and they instantly assume it's coming from underground where they are, so they dig up towards the surface, where the robin catches the worm, or, in our case, we catch ourselves some grub."

"I thought we were hunting mice," Kludd argued. The other owls just stared at him.

"He needs an education," Uklah whispered to Ginger.

"Agreed. Alright, soldiers. Commence pecking!"

"Pecking what?" Kludd questioned, oblivious to the plan the owls had devised.

"The ground, addle-brain!" Uklah told him.

"Oh! Right! Right..."

Without any further hesitation, the five Tyto Owls began pecking at the ground, making sure to stay far away from the hole they found as to not scare away any rodents that may pop up. Sure enough, within only a few minutes of pecking, a chubby ground squirrel poked its head out of the ground. Ginger was the first to spot it, then shot up into the air, then silently went in for a kill spiral as the small creature began to nibble on the dry grass, within seconds, the other owls heard a tiny squeak, then turned their heads to see the squirrel dead in Ginger's talons.

"Dinner, my fellow owls, is served."

"You do know that's just enough for one or two of us, right?" Uklah said.

Ginger sighed. "Hey, I was trying to sound cool, don't spoil it with your boring smarts."

"My smarts aren't boring!"

"Okay, maybe not all the time," she immediately admitted as a form of apology. "But the problem is you tend to make stuff...less enthusiastic when you talk about stuff like that at the wrong time."

"Although, I will say that you could probably put them to better use," Phillip chimed in. "Kludd looks like he could use some extra brains."

"Everybody burst out laughing except for Kludd himself.

"Are you guys trying to imply that I'm dumb?"

"No, no," Vaygar teased. "We're just implying that you're not smart."

More laughter rang throughout the open skies surrounding the small patch of land encircled in salt water.

"Alright, owls, that's enough fun for the night," Ginger announced. "It's high time we grab some more grub and get back on the road again. We don't want this mission to end up taking too long."

"Affirmative," Vaygar responded. "We'll continue that vibration pecking thing Uklah taught us, get some more of those rodents into our gizzards then head out. Unk, you ready to get to pecking?"

Vaygar got no answer from the Pit Guardian. Swiveling his head towards the island's edge, he saw him, fast asleep in the dry grass along the shoreline.

"Oh, no." Phillip complained. "It takes him forever to wake up once he dozes off."

"Well, then, I guess we'll have to wake him up once we've eaten," Vaygar suggested.

"Make sure to eat lightly enough that you're not made sluggish," Ginger warned her troops. "But also make sure you've had enough to energize yourselves for the rest of the flight."

"Noted," Uklah told the young general. "Alright Tytos. Continue pecking!"

* * *

...

* * *

"Now, that's what I call a good mouse," Kludd remarked once the young Tytos had finished their small meals. "It must be the grass here that makes them so appetizing."

"Alright, soldiers, are we ready to get back into gear?" Ginger called out to the owls.

"Yes, General!" was the response she got from everyone except Phillip and Unk.

"Wait a minute...Where are Unk and Phillip? UNK! PHILLIP! REPORT TO ME!"

It was then the young owl heard someone muttering in the Midwest portion of the island. Turning around, she saw it was Phillip, who was in vain attempt to awaken Unk.

"Come on, Unk, why do you have to be such a heavy sleeper!?"

"Uh..." The Great Horned Owl snorted as he awakened drowsily. "What, where...What's going on?"

"We gotta get a move on, Unk!" the Sooty Owl told him. "We don't have anymore time for delay!"

"Huh? Oh, OH! Yes! We gotta get going, owls! Follow me! Fly! Fly! Fly!"

The Great Horned Owl shot up into the air and took off to the northeast.

"Unk! Stop! Wait! Come on, soldiers! Follow him!"

"We're right behind you, Phillip!" Ginger screeched as the Tyto owls frantically followed after the Pit Guardian.

"That's the first time I've seen him become so hyper after a nap in forever," Phillip stated once all of them had reached the old strigiform and resumed their flight.

"You think!?" an annoyed Uklah retorted, not happy she had to take off in such a rush.

"Calm yourselves owls," Ginger told them, in a better mood than when she was barking orders for them to keep their beaks shut before they had found the small island. "Even after a meal, we still need to conserve energy for the rest of the flight."

"She's right," Vaygar told them. "Let's move our wings, not our tongues."

* * *

...

* * *

"Ugh, the sun's in my eyes," Uklah complained as the owls flew on. By this point, the moon had set hours ago, and the glaring sun was nearing the middle of the sky.

"You don't think too much exposure of our eyes to the sun will damage them somehow, do you, Uklah?" Phillip questioned her.

"That's very possible, Phillip, but only if it's every single day or if you look directly at it."

"Well, I'm sure everyone, including me, is doing their best to look away from it, so if that's the case, I think we're good."

"Hey, guys, look ahead!" Vaygar shouted. "There's a bunch of clouds forming above us in the distance! Maybe they'll help block out the sun so we can see better!"

"Clouds?" Ginger repeated the Grass Owl before looking up. He was right. Clouds were forming above them, but they didn't appear white and smooth, they looked puffy, and a bit gray, and she could see that they were beginning to tower higher into the sky. This sparked her concern only slightly.

Maybe it'll just be overcast, she reassured herself, even though she had no idea what was going to happen with the weather. A few minutes passed, and the clouds had grown much bigger, although they didn't seem to be getting much darker, to Ginger's relief. Nothing was certain until...Ginger could have sworn she heard the deep rumbling of thunder in the clouds ahead.

I hope that was just my imagination, she said to herself.

She didn't say anything, not wanting to scare the others into potentially going yeep. But it was no longer than a handful of seconds later that she heard it again, and this time, much louder.

"Did one of you Tytos make that noise?" Unk asked the Tytos flying behind him.

"No, but I heard it too," Phillip answered.

This brief exchange of words sent Ginger into a panic.

"STORM!" she shred as she past her fellow owls at Glaux Speed. "FLY OWLS! MAYBE WE CAN GO PAST IT BEFORE IT STARTS!"

"What!? That was thunder!?" Vaygar screamed. "Oh my Glaux, we'll be lost at sea if we get caught in a storm! Follow her!"

The owls spoke no more and flew as fast as their wings could carry them towards the towering cumulonimbus. Before long, they were beneath the clouds, the sky around them having become almost as dark as twilight.

"Let's hope no lightning strikes us as we fly," Uklah warned. "Lightning always takes the shortest path to earth whenever possible."

"Is there any way to, like, PREVENT THAT FROM HAPPENING!?" Ginger yelled at her soldier.

"Uh..." the Barn Owl hesitated. "Um...no."

"WE'RE DOOMED! THERE'S NO WAY OUT! I KNEW I SHOULD NEVER HAVE LEFT THE OWL KINGDOMS! THIS IS RACDROPS! **SPRINKING RACDROPS!** "

"Normally I would tell you to watch your language, Ginger," Unk told her. "But YOU'RE RIGHT! THIS IS BULLSH-"

"UNK!" Phillip screamed. "Don't say that! Kids could be reading this fanfiction!"

"THIS IS NO TIME TO BREAK THE FORTH WALL, PHILLIP! THIS IS THE TIME FOR PANIC!"

Everybody!" Uklah screamed. "PUT A MOUSE IN IT!"

Her demand was so loud that they all fixed their gaze on her with wide eyes.

"We'll never get out of here acting like this! We need to continue on! The Amazon can't be much farther now!"

"She's right!" Unk screamed, almost inaudible over the pouring rain and the crashing thunder. "Vaygar! Which way's north east!?"

"I can't find my bearings! But my gizzard tells me northeast is...this way! Owls! Follow me and maybe we'll get out of here alive!"

The whole lot of them followed after Vaygar, still flying at top speed against the raging storm. It seemed to take days, even though it may have only been a matter of hours, but the hurricane finally seemed to calm itself, and the small group of owls flew with slightly less effort than before.

"Looks like things are beginning to clear up," Phillip announced once they were able to clearly make one another out again.

"It's about time," Uklah gasped, having drained nearly all of her energy battling the storm. "I can't fly for much longer."

"Neither can I," Kludd remarked. "I hope we reach the Mainland soon, or we'll probably be shark food!"

"Look! Ahead!" Ginger called out. "Is...is that...Owls! Land! Land ahead!"

"I see it! I see it!" Vaygar screeched. "Let's hurry on over there before we collapse, come on!"

Desperate for a rest after the tropical storm, the band of Pure Ones headed towards the distant South American continent ahead of them, the bright green treetops becoming more and more visible as they drew nearer.


	6. Chapter 5: The Remainder, and a Grudge

"I expected this place to be fuller than this," Uklah commented once the lot of them had perched on a Wimba tree. The land was rather flat, the trees were scattered among the grassy terrain, and there was no sign of the macaws the Monarchs had described for them.

"That's because we're not quite there yet," Unk stated. "The Amazon Rainforest is further inland, so after we rest up here, we'll continue."

"Oh, COME ON!" Vaygar complained. "We nearly had our wings ripped off in that storm and we still have at least another full day of flying!?"

"Well," Ginger added. "At least we can land more frequently now if we need breaks than when we were in the middle of the ocean."

"I...I guess you're right, Ging'. "But still. My wings ache so heavily I can barely lift them."

"Mine are pretty sore, too. Really, it'd probably be wise not to do anymore flying for at least a few hours."

"You guys know why your wings get sore after using them like we just did?" Uklah asked them.

"Oh, sure, Uklah," Kludd said sarcastically. "I'm simply dying to know."

"It's the muscles inside them growing that causes the pain. They've been exercised to the point of growing stronger, which, if workouts are gradually continued, should lead to very strong wings."

"Oh. Actually, that's...fairly interesting."

 _It's about time someone admitted to that._ Uklah said to herself. _I know my knowledge is fascinating. Some owls just don't want to say the same because they believe it'd make themselves look like idiots._

"Alright, owls, it's about dusk," Ginger announced. "I am fully aware that we owls normally sleep during daylight hours, but we need to rest ourselves until dawn. Tomorrow, we fly as fast and as far as possible in long stretches towards the rainforest until we reach it. Understood?"

"Understood. Although I do believe I remember the Monarchs saying that they put me in charge of this expedition, so don't bark orders all the time."

Ginger turned around to see Unk standing behind her. Annoyed at having to cope with this ludicrous decision, she grumbled softly, trying to find comfort in what Nyra had whispered to her before the start of the mission.

 _"If anything happens to Unk, or if he makes an outrageous command, usurp his position as leader."_

 _Call me heartless, but I honestly wish something like either of those would happen. I'm not sure how long I can live under that owl's rules._ she said to herself before she and the rest of the owls locked their talons on branches to keep themselves secure while they roosted.

* * *

...

* * *

"Awaken, young'uns! Come see what I've got for you!"

Ginger awoke to the sound of Unk's voice calling from below. The moment before she opened her eyes, the rest of her comrades bolted past her, leaving her dazed in the dust. Curious as to why the other trainees were in such a rush, she followed them to the bare ground, where she and the other four owls were met with five field mice that had been freshly killed by the Pit Guardian watching over them.

"Eat up, owls. Once you're all finished, we'll need to be heading out." He spoke in a kind tone that made Ginger's gizzard tie itself in knots.

 _Idiot owl. He should know that it would have been better for us to go out and hunt the mice by ourselves. It promotes a sense of independence and prepares us for adulthood! What does he take us for, chicks fresh from the eggshell!? What's worse is that he doesn't even know how to fight! What are we to expect if we come beak-to-beak with a predator of some sorts? This owl has never learned to fight, and we'd have to depend on him to keep us alive! What in the name of Glaux in Glamoura did Metal Beak eat before he assigned us to this!? It certainly affected his brain in one way or another! It's ridiculous! Absolutely ridiculous!_

"What's absolutely ridiculous, Ginger?" Vaygar questioned, his bloodied beak full of mouse.

 _Oh, racdrops._ she swore silently. "How much of that did I say out loud?"

"Just the 'It's ridiculous, absolutely ridiculous' part. But what were you talking about, exactly?"

"Uh, nothing," she fibbed. "Just, uh...thinking about the time I infiltrated the Great Tree and Digger spilled the beans on the Roots. Boy, oh, boy. Wasn't it _ridiculous_ of him to have made such a mistake?"

"Oh! That! Yes. Definitely. You know that back at home in the Beaks, Digger is renowned for his stupidity now? Just two weeks after you told us about all that happened there, word got around about how idiotic it was of that stankin' Burrowing Owl to tell a newcomer, who was also a _Tyto_ owl(suspicious, suspicious), about the secret section known as the Roots hidden underground when he barely knew anything about her. He's infamous for his lack of brains!"

"Really? Why haven't _I_ heard anything about this?" she questioned. having forgotten about her anger towards Unk.

"Well, we don't discuss it that much when we're together, considering that we usually have more important things to go over. It's usually the older owls who joke about it anyway, so even though it's a popular subject, word gets around fairly slowly back home, so...yeah."

"I guess that makes sense," she remarked before stooping down to pick up her mouse and slipping it down her throat.

"Alright owls, are we ready to head out?"

"Yes sir!" the four lower ranking Tytos answered.

 _Okay, now I remember what I was mad about before hand._ Ginger said to herself, making sure nothing she said in her head squeezed its way out of her beak.

"Let us be off then!" the Great Horned Owl announced as he shot into the air and towards the northeast. As the Tytos followed him, they saw that the farther they flew, the denser and greener the trees and plants below became, and they had to gradually fly higher in that hour to prevent themselves from crashing into the tropical vegetation. It was only another hour before Unk landed in one of the trees, the others doing the same.

"We made it," he told them in a soft, almost inaudible voice. "Welcome to the Amazon."


	7. Chapter 6: Confrontation made Friendly

"So this is it," Ginger said as she marveled at the exotic scenery. "This is where the macaws live."

"It is indeed, young Ginger." Unk replied. "Now all we have to do is find them."

"I wonder what these are..." Uklah had discovered a brown, spherical growth on the tree they had perched on that was hanging off of the branch by a twig. She plucked it off with her beak and turned it this way and that in her talons, trying to figure out what it was. The other owls soon became interested as well.

"Is it some kind of seed?" Vaygar questioned.

"Maybe," Uklah told him before giving it a shake. She could feel something inside of it.

"It very well may be a seed of some sort. Or a nut, at least. One or the other. I guess the only way to find out is to crack it open and see what's on the inside of this shell."

Uklah attempted to crack the shell on the branch by banging it repeatedly on it. When that didn't work, she tried to peck a hole in it with her beak, which resulted in it almost getting stuck in the brown armor surrounding whatever may be inside.

"Alright, forget it. There is no way I'm losing my beak to a shell. I'm not going to risk-"

She suddenly stopped speaking. An eerie silence followed her abrupt pause.

"What?" Phillip asked her. "What is it?"

Uklah's face portrayed nervousness. "We're being watched. I can sense it."

Ginger looked around, but saw nothing suspicious.

"Do you think it's the macaws?"

"Um...does that answer your question?"

Ginger turned towards the west to see three large birds sitting in the tree beside theirs. They were mostly red, save for their wings, which were also yellow and blue. One of them had a small crest of feathers sloping over the back of his head. They all wore devious smirks on their faces.

"Yes, Uklah...Yes it does."

"Well, well, well," the one with his feathers sloping back drawled in an oozy tone of voice. "What do we have here?"

"Oh! Um...Hello..." Ginger was put off by the fact that they didn't seem very welcoming.

 _Maybe they're being protective of their territory._

"Are you, um...Is this your turf?"

"Oh, it's our turf, alright." one of the other ones said. "You and your dull feathered friends or on our side of the grove."

"First off," Uklah piped up. "What grove? And second, did your parents never-"

Ginger slapped her wing over the owls beak before she could reprimand them for insulting their plumage.

"Not helping, Uklah!" she rasped.

"Yeah, you know, the giant Brazil Nut grove we have here! You're on our side of it! Trying to sneak a snack, I assume?"

"So, these are nuts?" Uklah said as she held up the Brazil Nut in her talons.

"You...don't know what Brazil Nuts are?" The macaw seemed confused.

"We certainly have never seen nuts like these before, let alone know what they taste like."

"So...you weren't going to eat them?" His tone calmed.

Uklah seemed to sniff at the nut, and thought it had an odd smell about it. "I doubt we'll be eating these anytime soon. Besides, we can't even get them open."

"Well, then, what do you eat, if you don't eat nuts?"

"Rodents. We eat rodents."

"You mean, like, mice and rabbits and stuff?"

"Exactly. We would never intend to harm your ecosystem."

The three macaws exchanged glances for a few seconds, then finally looked the owls in the eyes.

"Well," the macaw with the sloped feathers, who was most likely the leader of the three, began. "It seems as though the six of you pose no threat to our beloved piece of the Brazil Nut grove. If you mean no harm, I suppose, maybe, you could stay for a while."

"Wondrous!" Unk spoke up in a surprisingly cheery tone of voice and began to shake the red macaw's wing with his own. "My name is Duncan Virgius, but you and your comrades may simply refer to me as 'Unk," that's short for 'Uncle,' by the way. Me and my fellow travelling owls came here to your beautiful jungle all the way from-"

"Oh my Glaux, Unk, stop rambling!" Ginger screamed, knowing that he would make the rest of them look like idiots with his almost child-like behavior. Her outburst startled all of the other birds, although Ginger barely took any notice and shoved Unk out of the way and took over speaking.

"I apologize for Unk's...rashness, my good sir. Me and my fellow owls have come from the uncharted Owl Kingdoms in the middle of the Pacific Ocean in search of strong allies. We are in-training members of the Tytonic Union of Pure Ones, and our leader claims to have had a dream about you birds, convincing him to send us here to befriend you...Although, we are skeptical about his seemingly insane decision, as the journey across the ocean was near impossible, and we managed to survive on what was almost definitely a huge amount of luck. We ask for nothing but-"

"Say no more, amigo," the macaw told her, having become more interested in these birds as they continued to speak, especially, Ginger, who was obviously of mature and trustable spirit. "Friendship request accepted."

The young tytos behind Ginger celebrated quietly.

"The name's Felipe," the lead macaw said with an extended wing, which Ginger met without as much force as Unk had. "Head of the Red Macaw Tribe."

"Ginger. And these are the rest of the Trainees, Kludd, Vaygar, Phillip and Uklah. And of course, you've...you've already met Unk."

"So, are you in charge of this here gang, Ging'? You seem like a responsible bird."

Ginger scowled, then leaned in to whisper into Felipe's earslit.

"Unfortunately, no. I'm under the commands of that...lunatic."

Both of them looked at the Great Horned Owl, who was beside himself with joy, dancing around on the tree branch like a looney.

"Of all the owls who could have gotten us here, why did Metal Beak have to choose this one?" Ginger complained to the Scarlet Macaw.

"Oh, boy," Felipe sighed. "I mean no offense to either you or your folks, pal, but if this _is_ the guy in charge, we may be in for a rough ride."

"Yeah...I figured that out a loooong while ago..."


	8. Chapter 7: Flock and Family

"Whoa...I figured there would be a lot of macaws in this forest, but...I never imagined there would be this many!"

Ginger stared in awe at what Felipe's Tribe. They had all come to greet her and the rest of the travelers, and Ginger estimated there to be at least a couple hundred of them.

"I've never seen a flock so big."

"Yeah, it's a big flock," Felipe told her. "But it's my flock. Now, how about we over to my pad so you fellas can meet my family?"

"Aren't all of these macaws your family?"

"What? No way! Just a few of them are actually related to me. Everyone else is just a close friend and fellow flock member."

"So, Felipe, exactly how big is your actual family?"

"Nowhere near as big as the Tribe. Just my two brothers and my dad. And before you ask, YES, I still live with my dad even though I just turned twenty-six. Well...Actually, it's more like, well, my dad lives with me. After our mother passed he handed the entire hollow down to me, and my brothers decided to stay with us. We're all bachelors, so..."

"Sorry to hear about your Mom, Felipe, but while I thank you deeply for the offer, me and the rest of the crew couldn't possibly fit into your place. We'd crowd you all."

"Ohohoh, that's where you're wrong, my fine feathered friend."

* * *

...

* * *

"I said it before, I'll say it again...whoa."

None of the owls have ever dreamed of a living hollow this enormous. It was large enough to comfortably fit in two adult grizzly bears and at least three cubs. Even the huge library and dining hollows at the Great Ga'Hoole tree weren't as big as this space.

"Praise Glaux in Glamoura!" Unk shouted. "This place is stark raving amazing!"

"Yeah, I know," Felipe bragged jokingly. "But it doesn't seem quite as big when my brothers and father are here."

"Where are they now?" Kludd asked him.

"Oh, they're out gathering some wild fruit and berries from the trees. Me and my family enjoy sun-drying the stuff off the trees sometimes as treats."

"What kinds of berries are there around here?" Uklah questioned, assuming they wouldn't mind if they took some back to the Beaks with them to plant and grow for themselves.

"Oh, all sorts. We've got Acai Berries, mangoes, camu camus, stuff like that."

"I've never heard of any of those before. Have you, Ginger?"

"Well, I've heard of mangoes, but neither of the other two fruits he mentioned."

"I assume you birds aren't from anywhere around here."

"Oh, most certainly not, sir," Vaygar told him. "In fact, the place from which we hail has yet to be discovered by humans."

"Undiscovered by humans!? Mamamia! How do you guys stay hidden!?"

"None of us really know," Phillip answered. "Some say it's a combination of the magnetism and weather, others say our home is protected by an invisible veil made by Glaux himself, but nobody really knows how we've remained hidden from human civilization for so long."

"Wow...That's pretty awesome."

"Felipe! Felipe!" They all turned towards the hollow entrance to see the macaw's brothers and father returning from foraging. His brothers appeared eager to return.

"We actually found a pineapple! Do you know how rare those things are around here!? It'll make for a perfect dry snack!"

"Felipe." His father, who had duller colored feathers, and didn't appear happy to see strange birds in his home, confronted him. "Who are these birds? And...as a matter of fact, what are they?"

"Oh, Dad, these are owls. They've come a long way just to check out the Tribe."

"You know it's dangerous to bring in foreign birds, Felipe. They could eat all of our food!"

"But, they don't eat nuts and/or fruit."

"What do you mean 'they don't eat nuts'? If they don't live off of stuff from the trees, what do they eat?"

"Rodents."

"Rodents? You mean, like, rats and mice and stuff like that?"

"Yeah, I was kinda shocked to hear that, too."

"So, you are Felipe's father," Ginger said as she extended a wing to greet him, hoping that Unk wouldn't try to butt in and make himself look like a fool. "Name's Ginger. It's a pleasure to meet you."

Felipe's father kept a stern expression.

"Tuck that wing away, Georgia. We don't accept human habits in the Amazon."

"What do you mean?"

"A shaking of the foreleg or wing is a human custom. Humans are despicable and untrustworthy creatures, therefore we wish to have nothing to do with them."

"So...no wingshake?"

"Absolutely not."

Ginger humbly tucked her wing back in.

 _Sure, I'm not the biggest fan of humans either, but they can't be all that bad._ she said to herself.

Felipe seemed to read her mind as his father flew away without any sort of welcoming attitude.

"Yeah, I know what you're thinkin'. I never much cared for humans myself, but I always thought calling them stuff like that was a pinch over the top. Sure, I've never seen one before, but it's not like they're merciless. Mom always told me that every creature has at least some amount of affection, some just have more than others. I doubt humans are an exception."

"Well, I'd lived quite close to a human civilization for quite some time before I left home. We saw some every so often, but it's not like they hunted us down, or stuff like that. A couple of times, some even watched us fly around our tree."

"Is that so? Well then, I guess Dad's not as correct as I always thought him to be about humans."

"But still, you never can tell which ones may intend to do you harm, so it's best to keep a distance."

"I hear you, Ginger."

Felipe looked outside and examined the sun's location, determining the time.

"Heh heh...It's that time of day again..."

"What are you doing?"

"Oh. Me and and my bros head over to the border of our side of the grove to have some fun."

"What kind of fun?"

"Heehee, we're stinkers. We head over there to have some fun with the Blue Macaw Tribe."

"You mean like, taunting them."

"You could say that. You up for some action? I'm sure my brothers wouldn't mind if you came along."

"Well, I've been in an iffy mood since we began our journey, so I guess you can count me in."

"Nice. Caesar, Mario, come on! We're heading over to the border!"

Without another word, the four birds headed towards the edge of their side of the Brazil Nut grove.


	9. Chapter 8: Mockery Gone Wrong

"You see this here river, Ginger?" Felipe said as he, his brothers and the young Barn Owl hovered over a wide, but gently flowing stream.

"Yes, what about it?"

"It separates our half of the Brazil Nut grove from the half that belongs to the Blue Macaw Tribe. As long as we don't cross over to the land on the other side, we're not invading their territory. But we can get just close enough to have some fun with their leader, Eduardo(or as we like to call him, Old Eddie), as long as he's around."

"Oh, really? I'm not usually the one to make fun of anybody, but I'm tempted to try it out."

"Hey, there he is on that tree right over there!" Mario pointed out. "Let's do this!"

"Watch and learn, Ginger," Felipe told the young owl. "Once you get the idea, feel free to fly over and take a whack at it."

He and his brothers flew towards Eduardo's branch on one of the Brazil Nut trees. Eduardo appeared to lecturing another one of the Spix's Macaws. The bird he was yelling at appeared weak and inexperienced; a perfect victim.

"This is important! We have to protect these trees! Our future depends on it."

"Hey, Eddie! Who's your sidekick?" Felipe called mockingly. "You got a _nurse_ now?"

Felipe and his brothers all laughed. As Ginger watched from a safe distance, she attempted to think up some good wisecracks for when she joined them, although they made it look easier than it really was.

The other Spix's Macaw seemed nervous. "Oh, um, hi. I'm-"

"Aren't you boys getting a little too close to our side?" Eduardo questioned. "We have a deal, Felipe."

"Ohohoho, watch out, bros! He's tryin' to intimidate us with his...SIDEKICK!"

They all continued laughing.

"Right." Eduardo was growing impatient with their mockery. "Like you have a lame sidekick..."

"Actually, Eddie, we do! But unlike yours, ours isn't lame!"

"Ginger, that's your cue!" Caesar called, to which the owl responded by flying in next to Felipe.

"Hey, Eddie!" she taunted. "Nice uh...crown feathers! Did you try to give yourself a buzz cut or something?"

"Ohohoh, BURN!" Felipe congratulated. "That's the way to do it!"

The four birds began cackling as hard as they were able to. Eduardo had never seen a Barn Owl before in his entire life, so his reaction wasn't exactly friendly, especially seeing that it had befriended the obnoxious Red Macaw Clan.

"What in the world kind of monstrosity of a bird is that?"

Despite the noise the three Scarlet Macaws were making, Ginger could still hear what Eduardo said, and his comment silenced her.

"...What did you just say?" she asked him, although she knew what he said well.

"You should be ashamed of yourself, you malformed brat! If I had the nerve to cross the river, I'd teach you a lesson about respecting your elders!"

"Um," the other Spix's Macaw tapped on Eduardo's wing with one of his talons. "D-don't you think that's a bit harsh?"

"Quiet, Stu. This isn't your fight."

"It's...Blu."

"Whatever Drew."

This bird didn't even know Ginger's name, and he was calling her things she could never have imagined. It was also apparent, to Ginger, that the old macaw didn't know what she was capable of, either.

"Haha!" Ginger let out a fake laugh. "You know, Eddie, I know you have this...thing going on with the Red Tribe, but something tells me you actually like the color red!"

"Oh, really? And why on earth is that?"

"Uh, Gingy," Felipe and his brothers had stopped laughing and had noticed not only Ginger's odd behavior, but the slight glare in her blue eyes, which was growing more intense by the moment, giving the owl a sinister look of insanity. "Are...you okay?"

"Why, Eddie? Oh, no reason in particular, it's just because **YOU'RE ABOUT TO SEE NOTHING BUT RED!** "

With extended claws and now harshly gleaming, hateful eyes, Ginger lunged at the old macaw. She most likely would have killed Eduardo within only a matter of seconds had Felipe, Caesar and Mario not grabbed her with their talons by the wings and tail feathers before she got the chance. Upon realizing Felipe and his brothers were beginning to fly away from the blue macaws with her in their grasp, she struggled to break free.

"Come on, you guys, let me go so I can decapitate him!"

"Stew, we best be on our way. Fly," Eduardo told Blu as they made a surprisingly calm escape.

"Should we bring her back to the nest?" Caesar asked the Red Macaw Tribe leader. "If we let her go she's likely to cross the border."

"That's probably a good idea, but we better hurry. Come on, Ginger, let's go. You gotta blow off some steam."

Ginger answered with a series of incomprehensible, but obviously furious shrees.

"Yeah, we better get a move on before she manages to bust out of our grip," Caesar commented. "If anything else like that happens again, there's a chance we could be in for another war."

"Yeah, that wouldn't be good," Felipe replied. "Let's head on back."

The three macaws began to return to their own hollow, the young Barn Owl still in tow.

* * *

...

* * *

By the time they were halfway to their roost, Ginger, who had exhausted herself trying to break free, began to speak, no longer in a rage.

"Can you guys let me go now?"

The brothers looked at each other, then back at Ginger.

"I...I guess so," Felipe decided. "But only if you promise not to head back to the border."

"I swear on my gizzard."

That being said, the macaws released the owl, and she fluttered to their sides as they shaped a small aerial formation on their way home.

"Just out of curiosity, Felipe," the owl inquired, "Why exactly did you guys split up the grove into halves rather than sharing it?"

"Well, it's not that we have a problem with anybody's feathers if that's what you were thinking. The reason we can't share the grove is because food is becoming more scarce nowadays. Every so often, the forests are ravaged by loggers."

"Loggers? You mean humans? That cut down the Brazil Nut trees?"

Exactly, although I never saw any of them, we evacuated so quickly. All we know that they're dangerous, and they don't care if they wipe out our entire clan as long as they get to cut down our trees. You know what I'm saying?"

"...Yeah."

 _If only there was something me and the rest of the owls could do to try and fix this territory dilemma...but what? Sure we could replant nuts to grow more trees, but it would definitely take a long time for them to grow. And even if they do end up being able to produce fruit, won't these loggers just chop them back down? We need to do something about this whole thing. I just need to figure out what..._

For the rest of the trip back to Felipe's bachelor pad, the lot of them remained silent.


	10. Chapter 9: A Crazy, yet Brilliant Plan

"You we're right, Felipe. Watching the sunset does unwind one's gizzard."

Ginger had been on the brink of going yoiks ever since Eduardo had insulted her. Fortunately, the colorful sunset had succeeded in calming her.

"You know, Felipe, back in the Owl Kingdoms, me and the rest of the Pure Ones are trying to resolve conflict nationwide. You don't suppose we could do anything to end your feud with the other clan, do you?"

"Ah, I doubt it. We've never been crazy about each other to begin with considering our behaviors, we like jokes, they like dancing, we're modern, they're a bit more traditional, you know, stuff like that. But it didn't get so strict until the loggers started thinning the grove. Since there's less food to go around, we had to split the grove into two halves, and if anyone crosses the border river, war is declared immediately. No one's had the nerve to cross that river on either side of the grove, but with the Brazil Nut trees gradually growing more scarce, things are beginning to get a little tense. We actually started making fun of the Blue Tribe to help take our minds off of all these shenanigans."

"Well, Felipe. I just had the craziest idea that...No, no, that's ridiculous."

"What?"

"No, you wouldn't want to hear it. You'd think I had a screw loose."

"Come on, lay it on me, bird. The more you hold it in, the more I'll want to hear it."

Ginger sighed deeply before looking the macaw in the eye.

"I thought that if I crossed over the border and observed the habits of the other tribe, I could perhaps find a way to make peace between both of you."

The two birds just stared at each other blankly for a few seconds before Felipe spoke up.

"Wow...um...phew...That actually sounded like a pretty good idea on the outside, but I see a few flaws."

Ginger was quite surprised that Felipe didn't laugh in her face when she broke her plan to him.

"What flaws?"

"Well, first off, Eduardo already knows what you look like. Once he sees a face, he never forgets it, especially if it's the face of someone he's...less than fond of."

"Oh, yes. That's a big one."

"Second of all, you're a...a...' _Teeto Ulba_.' (Is that what Uklah said?)"

"Yes, that's also a big one, Felipe. I'd have a difficult time fitting into the crowd. I mean, look at me. Tiny beak, huge eyes, brown plumage. Heh...A Tyto Alba wouldn't blend very well with a tribe composed of hundreds of Blue Macaws, would it?"

"(Tyto Alba, that's it! Don't forget it, Felipe!) Yes, you're right. Unless you painted your feathers blue or something and slapped a fake beak on your face I don't think you'd have a very good time over there."

"Yeah. What an idea I had, eh? Heh, what an idea...What...WHAT AN IDEA!"

"Huh?"

"Felipe! You're brilliant!"

"Ginger, what are you saying?"

"I could craft a disguise! All I'd need is some kind of blue liquid and a wood crafted macaw beak and I'm home free on the other side!"

Felipe sat motionless and silent on the branch staring off into space for another few moments.

"Ginger...That's one of the best ideas I ever heard! Albeit, it's crazy, but still the best I ever heard! It could work! It would almost certainly work! Caesar! Mario! Gather as many wild berries as you can from the forest while it's still not dark out! And make sure they're loaded with dark blue juice!"

"What for, Felipe?" Mario questioned.

"Just go! Hurry! Go find some of those berries with the juice that stains your feathers if you soak in it too long!"

His two brothers flew off to find said fruits without any further questions.

"I assume I should leave my battleclaws at your place while I'm doing this, right?"

"Your what?"

"You haven't noticed my talons?"

Felipe looked down at Ginger's legs feet to find that they were heavily armored, her legs protected by metal covers and her talons armed with razor-sharp claws that could easily slice through the pelt of a jaguar. The minute he laid eyes on the blades, a shiver went down his spine.

"Have...How long have you been wearing those?"

"I've been wearing them ever since we left the base in the Beaks. Although I actually forgot I was wearing them myself until just a few minutes ago. You get so used to them that eventually, you don't even seem to feel them after a while."

"Do all of you wear those?"

"Yes. Well, almost everyone. Not Unk. He hasn't had any battle training."

"Those must be pretty effective weapons, huh?"

"Oh, they are."

"Just don't come after me with those things on, 'kay, Gingy?"

"Naw, I would never do that!"

"Ha ha! Yeah!...Yeah...Good."

"So, do you think I could head on over there tomorrow?"

"Sounds good to me. And while you're doing all that, I could see if I could assign tasks to the other owls."

"Tasks? Like what?"

"Oh, you know, primitive activities. Berry gathering, nut cracking, hollow dusting maybe. I could probably even have the big one help out with the chicks in the tribe."

"Okay, that's something Unk can do. Not only does he care for hatchlings well, but if he's busy with that, he'll stay out of everyone's feathers!"

"Ohoho, that's yet another plus. Alright, the sun's almost down. You should probably head in if you're going to be doing all that tomorrow."

"While owls are naturally nocturnal, we actually have started to sleep during the day due to travel time, and while I do prefer the night over the day, I will have no problem sleeping through the night."

"Well, there's a empty nest in the top left of our hollow. Just take that one and I'll see you at the crack of dawn."

"Noted. Have a good one."

"Right back atcha Ging'."

With that being said, the two birds retired to their nests, lowered their heads and fell into a comfortable slumber.


	11. Chapter 10: Ginger Crosses the Line

Ginger awoke to the suns rays shining brightly in her eyes from outside Felipe's hollow. She stood up unsteadily, then headed outside, climbing onto one of the nearby branches.

"It's about time you got up."

"Huh!?"

Ginger swiveled her head around to see Felipe's father perched on branch behind her. He was still wearing the same stern expression that he was when they had first met.

"Oh, um...Good morning, uh..." She was slightly unnerved by his uninvited presence, so she tried to start up a bit of small-talk to ease the tension. "Hm, I never got your name, you know? What is it?"

"It's Marco. And may I ask what this whole 'crossing the border' thing that Mario told me you came up with is all about?"

"Oh! well..." The young owl could see that he was not impressed by her intentions.

"You see, my good sir, I got the idea last night, and even though I thought it was crazy at first, me and Felipe changed it up a bit and eventually got it down to the point where it could actually work. My plan is to head over there today disguised as one of the Spix's Macaws, so-"

"You will do no such thing."

"...Whut?"

"I forbid you to cross the river into the Blue Macaw territory. It's too dangerous. If you're made undisclosed, we'll hae no choice but to declare war with the other clan, and we could risk losing our entire side of the grove to them."

Now Ginger grew impatient with Felipe's father ordering her around. She had had enough of Unk being in charge of her, but this beyond what she could tolerate. Her surprised and scared eyes turned as stern as his.

"Hey. I didn't come all the way out here to be bossed around by a bird I was supposed to help. If I say I'm going over there, I'm going over there."

"Oh, okay! So you wanna do this the hard way do you? You're confined to the hollow for the rest of the day, no dinner!"

"...Okay, are you actually trying to ground me? I'm not your kid. I'm not even of the same spe-"

"In the hollow!" Marco interrupted. "NOW!"

Ginger was angered now to the point where she wanted to rake her talons straight across his face. But she wouldn't. Because she knew what would happen if she did. To lessen the tempting rage building in her gizzard, she breathed in deeply through her nostrils, then back out again through an open beak.

"Alright listen, old bird. This is for the benefit of both tribes. You go on and worry about stuff you normally do, and don't worry about what I'm doing, alright?"

The macaw let out a contained snarl with a clamped beak.

"You know what!? Fine! But if you start up a war, you'll have to answer to me, you hear!?"

"Yeah, that's not happening..."

Not wanting to hear another word, Ginger spread her wings and shot into the sky, trying to ignore Marco's continuous carrying on as much as possible, as he apparently hadn't decided to listen to what she had said.

* * *

...

* * *

"How much longer do I need to soak in here?" Ginger questioned. After Felipe and his brothers had pressed the berries they'd found into juice, they had made sure the color was the right shade of blue and poured the liquid into an eroded hole in a boulder, where Ginger was directed to stay in for a certain period of time in order to dye her feathers the same shade as those of the Spix's Macaws. Only her beak, nostrils, the few feathers surrounding them, and her legs and talons were sticking out above the surface to enable breathing.

"Just another few minutes should do the trick. While you were doing that, me and the boys crafted a phony beak out of the best wood we could find."

"And how did you say I was supposed to wear it?"

"We found some sap dripping out of one of the non-Brazil Nut trees in the area just a few minutes ago and gathered it. All we need to do is fit the jaw pieces over your real beak, then cover the place where the fake bone is supposed to go with the sap before we stick it on. After we stick the beak on with the sap, we hold it in place until it hardens. We've used sap from the trees for ages for lots of things, so believe me; it makes an amazing adhesive."

"Alrighty, Ginger, you can climb on out of there now!" Mario told her.

Ginger pulled herself out of the juice with her wings.

"Whoa. Now, when we put the beak on, you're sure to fool them!"

"Does it look bad?"

"Oh, no, of course not! Take a look for yourself!"

"Where?"

"There's a pool of water over here!" Felipe called from on the other side of the rock. Ginger headed over to where the macaw was standing and looked at her reflection in the water. All of her feathers were a soft, but bright shade of blue.

"Wow. The colors blend so well, I can barely see the rim of my facial disc!"

"So, you okay with this look?"

"I actually don't mind it much. But even if I did, I would still need it in order to infiltrate the other clan."

"Oh, and Ging', we also painted the beak we crafted gray. Just let us try to fit the thing over your actual beak and then we can stick it on?"

"How long will that take?"

"Um, maybe a couple of hours altogether."

"Well, we're burning daylight, so let's get to it!"

* * *

...

* * *

"Alright, I was perfectly fine with the blue feathers, but this thing just makes me look ridiculous."

"I don't know," Felipe reassured. "It doesn't look half bad. But like you said, if you wanna cross the river, you'll have to wear it in order to fool the other tribe."

"Yeah, I know. I just hope they buy the disguise."

"You look like a macaw to me. Right, bros?"

"Yeah, it's actually pretty convincing, now that she has that beak on," Mario replied.

"So, you think I'm ready to cross over?"

"You look ready. What do you say we head on down there now?"

"Sounds good to me!"

The four birds flew off to the border river without another word. Once they made it to the flowing waters, Ginger turned to the Scarlet Macaws and broke her plan to them.

"Okay, when I go over there, I'm not going to make a big stink about it like, 'Hey, look at me! I'm a new bird! Get to know the fake me as much as possible!' No. I'm just going to slip into their ranks undetected and make like I've been one of them for my whole life. As long as nobody takes a particularly strong interest in me, I should be fine."

"You don't need an escort halfway across the stream, do you, Ging'?" Caesar asked her, his face looking a bit redder than usual.

"Um, thanks," Ginger declined, a bit uneasy about his suddenly odd behavior. "but I'm sure I can fly across myself. Wish me luck, boys!"

"Later!" the leader of the Red Macaw Tribe called out as Ginger disappeared in the foliage on the other side.

" _Au Revoir_ , my succulent little papaya," Caesar sighed.

"Okay, Caes. You weren't acting like that towards Ginger when she first got here. What's gotten into you?"

"What? She looks hot when she's in disguise!"

Felipe and Mario just exchanged glances with him and themselves for a few moments before speaking again.

"Riiiiiiiiiight, well...We best be getting out of here before someone notices we're a quarter of the way across the border, shall we?"

"Guys!" Mario called out. "Some of the blue fellas are headed this way! Let's scram!"

The brothers scrambled through the air into the trees on their side of the grove just in time. Had they been any slower, they would have been spotted by the two patrolling Spix's Macaws and thw hole mission would have had to have been canceled.

"So, you think, Ginger's gonna be alright over there, Felipe?" Caesar asked his older brother once they were safe.

"I hope so," Felipe told him. "This was all her idea, not mine! Sure, if I had thought it up, I may have been more certain about what would happen, but I'm not the only smart bird in the world, you know. It's obvious that she is too, so I'm pretty sure she knows what she's doing."


	12. Chapter 11: Cockatoo and Company

_Stay low, Ginger_ , the blue dyed owl said to herself. _You never know when one could appear._

Ginger was flying so close to the ground, she might as well have been walking on it. Within only a few more wingbeats, she entered the nesting grounds of the Blue Macaw Tribe. All of the parrots above her were either dancing, flying around, or both. She decided it would be best to find a place to roost before the macaws grew suspicious of her. Flying up onto one of the tree branches above, one that concealed her well with its leaves, she looked around for an empty hollow she could reside in while she observed the Blue Tribe's habits. Swiveling her head this way and that, she eventually spotted an unoccupied hollow in a leafless, dying tree, where she promptly flew to and checked the inside. Nobody was in it, and there was no sign of inhabitance; no nest, no feathers, it had virtually nothing in it. Just what Ginger wanted.

"This will be a perfect hideaway!" she said to herself before her stomach rumbled loudly.

 _I guess my stomach's as empty as this living space. I best look for a nice, plump rat for my gizzard to grind._

Ginger flew off in search of a small animal to slide down her throat. But before she spied any rodent of any sort, something bigger caught her eyes on the ground. From a distance, it appeared to be another bird, with white feathers.

 _Now what would a bird besides me be doing on the ground? They could easily be nabbed by a land predator!_

Ginger flew towards the white bird. She landed noiselessly only a few feet away from it. This bird looked like none she'd ever seen, with a long yellow crest of feathers extending from the top of his head and curving at the ends, and featherless patches patches under his eyes that made him look very unkempt. To top everything off, the bird appeared to be wearing what looked like a manmade outfit of some sort; a yellow vest with two green buttons down the middle, and a large plastic frill around his neck patterned green and white. His two accompanies consisted of a pink and black frog and a giant anteater.

"Um, excuse me, sir," Ginger said to the strange bird. "Are you, by any chance, in any sort of distress?"

Upon hearing Ginger speak, the bird turned his head towards her. He had the beak of a macaw, but bigger, and much more intimidating. Without any warning, he lunged at Ginger with hateful eyes and pinned her onto the ground with his huge gray talons by the neck, ready to crush her esophagus.

"Why, hello there, pretty bird," he taunted in an oozy, British tone of voice. "Would you like to volunteer to be my first victim?"

Ginger struggled to break free of the bird's grasp, finally succeeding by giving the bird a hard slash across the face with her own clawed talons, which proved to be sharper and more deadly than his. Gasping for air, she eyed the bird angrily.

"What in the name of Glaux is the matter with you!?" she reprimanded. The bird, holding a wing to his face while squawking incomprehensively in pain, had fallen on his rear feathers upon impact with Ginger's claws. Three long, red scratches ran diagonally across his face, all of them having begun to bleed quite badly.

"Oh, Nigel!" the oddball frog exclaimed, hopping off a nearby leaf to his side. "What did she do to you!? How bad is it!?"

The bird lowered his bloodied wing and gave the amphibian an annoyed look.

"Oh, cut the splat, Gabi. It's just a few scratches."

"Are you sure about that?"

"Gabi, I was scratched. It's not like she tore open my chest, or something."

"I might as well have!" Ginger shreed, retreating to a small branch protruding from near the bottom of a tree trunk to gain a height advantage in case the cockatoo attacked her again. "I flew down from the tree tops to see if you needed help and this is the thanks I get!?"

"And what exactly would you think I needed help with?" Nigel questioned.

"Well, first off, why are you on the ground? You'll become cougar meat of you stay down here!"

The cockatoo's glaring gaze seemed to soften as it turned to something showing more depression than fury. He turned his back to the owl in disguise.

"Just leave me alone," he rasped. "I have your kind to thank for my life on land."

"You mean," Ginger continued, considering that he didn't see through her disguise. "Spix's Macaws?"

"Yes, I mean Spix's Macaws! What else could I be talking about!?"

"So...you don't like the Blue Tribe?"

"I get a sickening sensation in my gizzard every time I see one. Including you."

 _Holy, sprink. I must be the luckiest bird alive._

"Oh, but no, sir. I'm not really a macaw," Ginger disclosed.

"What?" Nigel turned back toward her, confused. "If you're not a macaw, then what are you?"

Ginger motioned for him to come closer with her wing, which he did before leaning in with his ear dipped toward her beak.

"I would remove my false beak, but not only would that be near impossible, but I wouldn't be able to put it back on. I'm a Barn Owl, Tyto Alba. I made myself look like this so I may infiltrate the Blue Tribe."

Nigel's eyes calmed, then he sighed before approaching her disarmingly.

"My utmost apologies for the skirmish," he told her in a friendlier tone than before. "Your disguise certainly is effective, I must add, don't you say?"

Ginger was happy to see that Nigel was not bent on strangling her anymore, now that he knew she wasn't a real macaw.

"In all honesty, Nigel, I think it makes me look ridiculous."

"Well...maybe. I can't say for sure because I _hate_ ALL Spix's Macaws with a burning passion."

"I'm not exactly fond of them myself, but I came over here to attempt to resolve the issues we're having with them and the Red Tribe on the other side of the river. Their leader, Felipe, says that part of the issue is each other's behavior, which don't mix well I can assure you. I came over here to see if there was anything I could possibly do to resolve the conflict."

"Oh, really...huh..."

Ginger suddenly remembered her curiosity as to why Nigel was wandering around on the ground rather than being among the tree tops.

"Oh, regarding your statement earlier, may I ask why it is the Spix's Macaws' fault that you are on the ground, and if that is the reason you despise them?"

The cockatoo grumbled before looking Ginger in the eye.

"I can't say I'm proud of my past. Before I was reduced to...this...I was one of the most famous icons in South America. Tall, handsome, talented, you know, the like. I was most well known for my television shows like _All my Flock_ and _As the Cage Turns_. Yes...People loved me, and I knew it."

"Quick question, Nigel. What's a _television?_ "

"It's ah...a city thing. I can't really explain while in the jungle."

"You're from the city?"

"Why, yes. Rio de Janeiro, to be exact. Long way from here."

"So...what happened to your fame?"

"Ugh...I have no ide why they did such a thing to me even to this day. They replaced me..."

"They replaced you?"

"Yes, they found some pretty parakeet from Paraguay named 'Patricious." He said the parakeet's name in an even oozier tone as though to mock her. "And they decided she was better looking than me, so they gave me the boot and gave her my job. I never knew why! I still had my looks, my talent, my talent above all things! She couldn't sing worth my splat! After I was terminated, I simply deteriorated, not just physically, but mentally. I developed a strong hatred for all pretty feathered birds, so much I ended up joining a band of smugglers a while back to make a quick buck off of sending them to the U.S.A as exotic pets. We were successful for around fourteen years doing that until one of those accursed Spix's Macaws foiled us. He strapped a fire extinguisher to my leg and sent me flying out of the plane me and the boys were in. I escaped the extinguisher just fine, thinking it was no big deal until..." His voice trailed off.

"What? Until what?" Ginger had grown hooked on the story he was telling.

"The plane was coming right for me and I went straight into one of its propellers."

Ginger winced, almost as though she was feeling the pain of the collision he'd described.

"I was torn to shreds before being found by animal rescue operatives. It was a miracle I'd survived. But with a price."

The cockatoo spread his wings to show them to the Barn Owl. The feathers on them were tattered and torn to the point of being unable to lift him off the ground.

"My feathers can no longer carry me through the sky. I am, in short, eternally grounded."

Ginger sighed, feeling sympathetic for the cockatoo who had gone through so much.

"So...why did you come here?"

"To reek my vengeance on that one macaw who did this to me. He came here in search of the rest of his kind, which was thought to be near extinct for a while. I don't suppose you've seen him at all?"

"Maybe...What's he look like?"

"Oh, skinny, nerdy, socially awkward."

"And his name?"

"Blu. Go figure."

"Blu!" Ginger exclaimed. "I've seen him!"

"You have!?"

"I saw him before I cam over to this side of the river! He was with the leader of the Blue Macaw Tribe!"

"Do you know where he lives!?"

"Um...no...But I'd better not help you too much with getting him back. It'll probably get me exposed."

"Yeah, good point...Oh! How about you help me during the night while everyone's asleep? They have no guards patrolling the area at night, so we'll be home free. Besides, if one of us is discovered, the other probably won't be. Nobody knows I'm here, so that's another plus."

Ginger gave the matter a few moments of thought. This bird could probably even prove to be a decent addition to the Tytonic Union at some point, so Ginger decided it would be best to cooperate with him to try and get him on her side.

"It's a deal. This evening, we look for that Blu guy."

"Excellent. Huh...I never got your name, you know. What is it?"

"Ginger. I'm a General where I'm from."

"So, General Ginger?"

"Just Ginger is fine."

"Ah, alright. I suppose I should introduce you to my crew. You probably already figured out that the frog is Gabi, and the anteater's Charlie."

"Well, I'm pleased to make your acquaintance, Gabi, Charlie."

"Be warned," Nigel whispered in her earslit. "Gabi's nuts about me, and Charlie's mute, so don't try to get too involves with them."

"Ooh...noted. Alright, I gotta head up to my hollow in this dead tree I found. You don't think you'd be able to climb up the tree, do you? I'm pretty sure there are predators around here that'll show up tonight."

"Well, I can't climb with my claws, but I think I have an idea for another way to do that..."

* * *

...

* * *

"Well, that's one way to use an anteater," Ginger said as Nigel ascended up the dying tree on Charlie, who was using his enlongated tongue as a rope to pull them up. Once Nigel reached the hollow entrance, he stepped inside.

"Alright, it's getting late, so let's head in for the night. I wanna stay as hidden as possible, and I'm sure this tree will work for all of us...except maybe Charlie, who...doesn't look like he'll fit inside."

"Sorry, Charlie, looks like you'll have to sleep on one of the tree branches outside," Nigel told him.

The anteater nodded and pulled himself onto another branch, a hint of disappointment in his eyes. Nigel and Ginger headed for opposite sides of the hollow and bedded down on either side. Gabi approached the cockatoo with a look of romance in her almost bulging eyes.

"Sleep well, Nigy, honey."

"Just leave me alone, Gabi..." he grumbled.

"What is it with her?" Ginger asked quietly enough for her not to hear.

"I don't know, she has a crazy crush on me or something..."

"Oh, well...Let's just ignore her."

The birds fell asleep inside the dying tree as the sun disappeared below the horizon.


	13. Chapter 12: Contact with the Target: Blu

Ginger awoke a bit late the following morning to find that Nigel and his cronies had already set off, a faint trail of white feathers leading in their direction. The disguised owl figured she might as well do the same, so she flew swiftly out of the hollow, snatching a mouse off a branch as she spiraled towards the ground. Upon landing, she decided it would be safer to try and locate this Blu fellow from the forest floor, not wanting to attract any attention with her odd appearance.

 _Now, if I were a nerdy macaw, where would I hang out throughout the day?_

Her thoughts were interrupted by something landing on her head and onto the ground.

"AI!" Ginger exclaimed as she looked at what had struck her. The rectangular object was partially see-through with what appeared to be a piece of paper wrapped around the middle of it. It appeared hollow with many small...somethings inside.

"Oh, sorry! Sorry!" a familiar voice called from above. "I didn't see you there! It's ah...hard with all the foliage!"

The being landed beside Ginger as she examined the odd object, reading the paper.

 _"Phreshies, for the phreshest breath."_

 _What the frink is that supposed to mean?_

"Oh, those?" the bird said. Ginger looked up and saw him. It was none other than Blu, and he could tell she was confused. "Those are breath mints. You've...probably never seen them before, cuz, you know, jungle...but they're good! You uh...eat them."

Ginger gave the package a shake. The mints rattled inside.

"...How?" She had become almost oblivious to the fact that this was Nigel's target, due to her confusion.

"Oh, I'm SOOOO glad you asked. The last time someone stumbled across these things, they tried to slip the entire box down their throat. Next thing I knew, I was performing the Heimlich maneuver on them. You gotta open the flap on the top and pour them out."

More curious than she'd ever been, Ginger popped the lid off the top of the container and dumped two of the pale blue-green mints out of the box onto the ground.

"So...I just eat them?"

"Exactly."

Ginger pecked one of them off the ground and moved it around in her mouth with her tongue. The fresh mint tablet began to melt, and the strength of the mint intensified and sweetened. It was an odd, yet very pleasent sensation the young owl had never experienced before. Once the mint had fully dissolved, she did the same to the other one.

"So,why are they called _breath_ mints, though?"

"It's because they freshen your breath, you know, to make it...not smell bad."

"Huh...interesting."

" Let's just make sure Eduardo doesn't find out I still have these," Blu told her as he picked up the package and put it inside a peculiar black case around his waist.

"Oh, and...Is there any particular reason you're wandering around on the ground instead of flying?"

Ginger's heart stopped. What was she supposed to tell him!? She couldn't not tell him,it woild raise suspicions! As quickly as she could, she tried to think of an alibi.

"I, uh...was...looking for something."

"Really? What are you looking for? I could probably help you find it."

 _Good Glaux, why does he have to be so dangerously friendly!?_

"I was looking for...uh...Brazil nuts."

"Brazil nuts?"

"Yeah!"

"Well, you're looking in the wrong place. If you wanna find any, you'll have to harvest some off of the trees."

"Oh, no no! I was looking for ones that had fallen!"

"Off the trees?"

"Exactly. I mean, waste not want not, am I right?"

"You know...that's actually not a bad idea. Eduardo told us that food was lessening here nowadays, and I haven't seen anyone else on the ground looking for fallen nuts. Do you think if we told him your idea, our food supply would increase?"

Ginger hadn't realized until now how brilliant the concept actually was.

"Ah, that...actually sounds good. Why don't you go tell him, Blu?"

"Well, I was hoping you'd come along, because he doesn't want to hear what I have to say, but if...Wait...How do you know my name?"

"Oh! Uh..." Ginger's mind went into a frenzy trying to think up an excuse as fast as humanely possible. "Word gets around quickly around here!"

"Oh, okay."

 _Thank Glaux this bird is trustworthy enough to be fooled easily. I wonder how long it'd take him to see through my disguise._

"I'm sure Eduardo would love to hear your idea. But like I said, you'd probably have to go see him yourself, because if I told him, he wouldn't listen."

"Why wouldn't he listen?"

"I don't know, he's just...He think's I'm an idiot and he's trying to mold me into a jungle bird so I'll be good enough for my wife."

By now, Ginger had completely forgotten about killing the macaw and was pulled deep into the conversation.

"Does he do that with any other birds who don't make the cut?"

"No...just me. Because my wife, Jewel, just so happens to be his _daughter_."

"Oh, really?"

That was when Ginger had remembered what Nigel had said about him.

 _Good Glaux in Glamoura, I can't kill him! If they somehow find out I'm from the other side of the river, I'll start a war! And I am not planning on breaking my oath to Felipe's dad! What to do about this situation..._

Then the Barn Owl remembered one key detail from when she had risen out of the hollow in the dying tree. Nigel had left a trail of molted feathers behind. All birds molted their feathers every so often, and when they did, they shed every single one of the old ones so the new ones would have less trouble coming in. The tattered, torn flight feathers on Nigel's wings were obviously old, so they would definitely fall out at some point in the near future. But when they did, new ones would come in, ones that weren't torn to shreds, allowing the cockatoo to fly again.

 _All I have to do is sort matters out with Nigel, then I could help out the two clans with their food dispute!_

"Very well, Blu, I shall go," she told him in a rather cheery tone. "Where, may I ask, does the leader of the tribe live?"

"Largest tree in the grove, mid-northeastern portion of the area, you can't miss it."

"Got it." Ginger said as she turned and began walking in that direction. "Well, I'm-"

"Wait!" the macaw squawked. "You're not going to go there by walking, are you? I mean, you might find some fallen nuts, but that'll probably be taken care of after you explain your idea to Eduardo.

"How hard can it be?" Ginger said to him, trying not to start an argument.

"No, no. I insist that you come with me to our um...'vacation hollow' for lunch?"

Ginger was about to sternly decline the offer when her empty gizzard made another grumbling noise. Why was she hungry again after she'd just had a mouse? How long had it been since she'd woken up and started wandering around? She looked up at the sun, wanting to determine the time by it's position. It was hard to tell with all of the leaves in the upper canopy. She began to twist her head in all different directions in attempt to determine the sun's location...realizing a moment too late that she had just made a huge mistake. She stopped turning her head to look at Blu, who was staring at her with the widest eyes imaginable.

"Ho, ho...Hooooow are you doing that with your neck!?" he stammered. "Only owls can do that!"

Ginger stared him right back, perhaps a bit to wide-eyed herself.

"And why are your eyes so huge!? That's also a trait only owls carry! It's impossi-...wait a minute..."

The macaw squinted just hard enough to see the faint rim of her blue dyed, heart-shaped facial disk.

"You're...a blue owl?"

"NO!" Ginger protested. "Heh, heh...No. I was just...I hatched like this! It's a defect! Defects! Birth defects! Exactly!"

"So, you're malformed is what you're saying?"

"Yes! I live on the forest floor because I'm so ugly, but I'm perfectly happy about it!"

There was a brief, awkward pause before Blu broke the ice.

"I don't see how anyone could possibly be happy with a lifestyle like yours. You know what? I don't care in you're deformed, you're coming home with me, and we'll make you the biggest, most delicious berry meal Brazil's ever known."

By now, Ginger was too overcome by a mixture of fear, relief and hunger to put down the offer, so she flew with him up to the treetops and began to follow him to his hollow.


	14. Chapter 13: Mingling and Mangoes

"Well, here we are!" Blu told the owl as they entered a hollow in one of the many trees in the grove. "We've were hanging in someone else's hollow before, but I decided I didn't want to be rude crowding up his space, so we found ourselves another one."

The hollow was empty, save for two large nests on the back wall.

"So...where's everyone else?" Ginger questioned.

"They must be out foraging for acai berries," Blu surmised. "Jewel and the kids love a challenge."

"Aren't those, like, all over the place?"

"Well, there used to be so many of them around here, that the Tribe had to thin them out a bit. Unfortunately, they thinned the population so much, they've grown scarce. They're still plentiful on the other side of the river, but that's red Macaw territory, so foraging there is definitely not an option."

"Oh." Ginger tried her bets to conceal her fear of being found out.

"Oh, you know what?" Blu continued, sounding frustrated. "I never got your name, agh, I'm sorry, what was it?"

"My name?" Ginger's mind went a millions miles a minute thinking of a fake alias and hoping he would fall for it. "It's...Sonata."

"Sonata?" Blu repeated, intrigued by the name, which sounded as melodic as what it really was. "You mean, like _Moonlight Sonata_?"

Ginger cocked her head in confusion. She had heard the term "sonata" before, knowing it was a kind of music piece, but she had never actually heard one, let alone know the names of any.

"You know, for the piano."

"A what?" That time, Ginger simply had to ask, not knowing what that was either.

"Oh, right...jungle. You probably wouldn't know who Beethoven was..."

Blu looked outside the hollow to see four other macaws coming towards it.

"Oh! They're back!" he exclaimed. "Jewel! Kids! We got company!"

The mother Spix's Macaw and the three newly fledged children, two females and a male, not much younger than Ginger herself, entered the hollow.

"Ah, I see someone's finally getting accustomed to the Amazon," Jewel told her husband, proud that he had managed to find someone to mingle with.

 _So far, so good_. Ginger said to herself. _As long as none of them managed to see through my cover-up..._

"Ah, Jewel, kids," Blu called his family over to the owl. "This is Sonata. She's a bit new to the tribe herself, it seems. Uh...Jewel, I hope you don't mind me having invited her over for a meal, do you?"

"Not at all, Blu."

The three chicks, intrigued by Ginger's appearance, looked up at her. They all seemed a bit put off by her, but that didn't stop them from speaking to her.

"It's nice to meet you, Sonata," the youngest female, Bia, told her, trying her best to hide being weirded out. Her father wasn't exactly a social butterfly, and she wondered what made him decide to invite her over all of a sudden.

"Same here." The eldest female, Carla, was equally unnerved.

Tiago, their son, was, however, not ashamed to say what he thought.

"What's wrong with her face?"

 _Oh, crap, he's on to me._

"Tiago Gunderson!" Blu snapped as he gave his son a cuff on the back of the head with his wing.

"Ow! What'd I do!?"

"Show a little more respect. She was born like that, and doesn't live with the other members of the tribe."

"Oh. Oh..." Tiago suddenly realized his mistake. "S-sorry, Sonata."

"Ah, I get that all the time," she responded.

 _Phew...That was a bit too close..._

"So, Jewel," Blu turned to his mate. "I was wondering if you had any ideas for lunch today. It's still pretty early, so...well...um...Any ideas?"

"How about we take her and Blu over to the Mango Clearing, kids?"

"The what?"

"It's a place we found this morning," Carla told her father. "It's a clearer patch of the nut grove with a bunch of mango trees growing in it."

"Oh!" Blu was quite fond of that particular fruit. "That sounds nice! Sonata, is that alright with you?"

Ginger desperately wanted to decline the offer and leave, fearing that her true identity may be discovered at any given moment, but she decided that it doing so would make them even more suspicious, so she accepted the offer and followed them outside and all the way to the small area of mango trees she and Blu had been told about.

* * *

...

* * *

"Hey, Sonata!" Tia called out as the six of them flew about the small mango grove. "Heads up!"

Ginger turned around just in time to grab the fruit hurdling towards her. As her talons squeezed through the mango's flesh, it's thick juice squirted out of the puncture holes Ginger's black claws had put in it and was all over her before she even realized it.

"Ah...gross," the Barn Owl whispered as she looked at the mango juice all over herself, taking the partially squished fruit down to a small brook flowing from the border river. She stepped inside the water, hoping that it wouldn't wash off her disguise, which it didn't, and she ridded herself of all filth.

"You alright, Sonata?" Blu questioned as he flew down beside her. "You're not leaving, are you?"

"No, no, just washing off my plumage."

"Ah, I see. Well, feel free to eat as much as you like before we head back, 'kay?"

"Yeah...sounds fine."

As the macaw left her and tended to his family, the owl looked at the fruit skeptically. She was never the biggest fan of fruit. Sure, she loved the taste of fresh milkberries that grew off of the Ga'Hoole trees in the forest of Tyto that were brought in by foraging Pure Ones, but those weren't quite as...exotic as mangoes. Nor were they anywhere near as big. Figuring she had nothing to lose, as if she disliked the flavor, she could rince it out with water from the small stream, she tore open the thick skin from one of the puncture holes, revealing the fruit's soft innards, and bit into it. Thankfully, she found herself satisfied with the flavor, as it tasted surprisingly similar to a milkberry, only stronger, and slathered in nectar. The only thing she found wrong with the fruit was its overabundance of fluid, which became sticky soon after contact with the air. She didn't mind washing off in the river, though, as it was unable to wash off the blue dye on her feathers. She sat by the water and continued to slowly nibble away at the mango as Blu's family flew about overhead. It wasn't long before she heard someone hissing in the bushes. on the other side of the brook. Looking at the low shrubs, she saw a familiar white head poke out of them.

" _Psssst_ , Ging, over here," the cockatoo whispered, to which Ginger quickly responded by approaching him.

"You waiting on something?" Nigel asked her once she was close enough to hear his rasps. "He's still alive and well, I assume your aware."

"Yes, well...I've devised a new plan."

"New plan? I thought I was the one in charge."

"Um, well...I didn't know anyone was supposed to be 'in charge,' but hear me out. You said you wanted that macaw dead because of him crippling your ability to fly?"

"Exactly. These wings will never again lift me off the ground."

"What if I told you that they could?"

"What?" A ray of hope glimmered in the cockatoo's eyes.

"All you need is patience. I saw that as you left in search of him this morning, you were shedding feathers."

"And what does that have to do with me flying?"

"You're molting! Haven't you ever shed your feathers in the place of new ones before?"

"I did once, when I was a young'un, as far as I can remember. But that was a long time ago."

"Well, it happens only a few times within a birds life; once as a fledgling, once as a newly fledged, and once as an aged fully fledged adult. You're in your last cycle of molting, it seems, after which you will sprout replacement feathers, including those on your wings, enabling flight once they've fully grown in."

"Ah..." Nigel's eyes had grown wide with wonder. "I am healable..."

"Yeah...So...we can't really kill him, Nige'."

"Meh...Could we at least prank him at some point?"

"Sounds reasonable, but only after everything's all said and done."

"That's fair...But what are you going to be doing in the mean time?"

"Well, I'm still focusing on getting the two tribes to come to a peaceful state, and I believe I may be on to something. Although I'll have to consult with Blu's father-in-law."

"He has a dad?"

"Well...He doesn't. His mate does, though."

"Oh, right. I never seem to acknowledge the term 'in-law' when it's used. My bad."

"So, while I figure out how I'm going to pull this off, I guess you can...Well...do whatever."

"You sure you got nothing for me? I'm usually not the one to lie around with nothing to do."

"Well, if you really want to do something, you could head over to the Red Tribe's side of the river and see if the other Trainee owls need anything. They shouldn't be hard to spot, considering their...brown plumage. Just tell 'em I'm the one who sent you over, and you're set."

"Well, it sounds fine to me. I shall head off at once."

"Wait!" Ginger stopped the cockatoo before he could even take one step. "I...Oh my Glaux, I forgot...You can't cross the river."

"Why not? I'm no threat to the Red Tribe."

"No, I mean you can't cross the river as in...Well...You...can't...fly."

"What? Balderdash. Charlie can just carry me across. You should see his tongue in action. Works as well as a 40 horsepower motor on a boat."

"Really!?" Ginger was impressed.

"Well...not that powerful, but still. I'll have no problem crossing, and I might as well give the other owls a progress report while I'm at it, eh?"

"Sounds fine to me. Over and out, Nigel."

The owl watched him as he disappeared into the foliage.

 _Now,_ she said to herself as she looked above at Blu and his family. _Back to business._


	15. Chapter 14: A Possible Pure One Recruit

"So, Caesar," Uklah asked the Scarlet Macaw as she showed him a freshly picked Brazil nut. "How do you suppose we crack these things? There aren't a whole lot of mice around here and, well...I know you guys don't want everyone eating all of your nuts, but Vaygar and I need something for our gizzards to grind."

"Well," the macaw told her. "If you can't use your beak to crack it, maybe you could try smashing it on a rock or something."

Uklah realized then and there that the solution was so simple a puffin could figure it out. And puffins were renowned for their stupidity back in the Owl Kingdoms. "Oh, why in hagsmire didn't _I_ of all birds think of that?"

"Guys!" Vaygar called out from another branch. "I see something wandering around on the forest floor!"

The three birds looked down beyond the leafy tree tops to see the odd white creature moving at a fairly slow pace on the ground.

"It...it looks like another bird!" Vaygar surmised.

"On the ground?" Uklah questioned. "What would a bird be doing on the ground instead of in the air?"

"I don't know," Caesar told them. "But if it is a bird, I doubt it's from the Blue Tribe. It's white."

"But it's not going to be from over here then either, is it?" Uklah asked him.

"Oh...you're right. Let's head in for a closer look."

The three of them spiraled to the ground to get a better look at the creature. It did turn out to be a bird, but obviously not belonging to either clan, and wearing a strange human getup none of them had ever seen before. Not only that, but he was travelling alongside a pink and black splotched frog and an anteater.

"Excuse me, sir," Caesar said to him. "Might I ask what you're doing in our grove?"

"Yeah," Vaygar added, trying to make himself sound intimidating. "Who said you could come over here?"

"I assume you are one of the owls of the Tytonic Union?"

"What's it to ya?" the Grass Owl scoffed.

"Hold your ill behavior, Vaygar!" Uklah scolded her fellow Pure One before turning back to the cockatoo. "Sir, how do you have any knowledge regarding the Tytonic Union?"

"Why, it was your leader who sent me over here."

"Ginger!?"

"Yes."

Vaygar stuttered uncontrollably, adding to his humiliation. "I-I'm terribly sorry, sir, for my attitude. We thought you were a threat at first."

"Meh. Honest mistake."

"Why did she send you here?" Uklah continued, ready to ask this bird as many questions as humanely possible.

"I've been wandering on the other side of the grove for about a week now trying to get back at one of those disgusting Blue Macaws for what they did to me, but Ginger and I decided I would come over here with you guys."

"Why's that?"

"Well, for starters, the effects of what one of the macaws on the other side did to me can be reversed, and if I did get him for it, it would jeopardize Ginger's mission. Therefore I have nothing better to do until the feud for food between the two tribes is resolved."

"Might I ask what the one Spix's Macaw did to you that was so bad?"

"He temporarily disabled my ability to fly."

"When do you think you'll be able to fly again?"

"As soon as I finish molting and growing in new feathers."

"And why did-"

"Can we stop right there for now? Too many questions give me a headache."

"Oh. Sorry about that. I'm just so pulled into all of this."

"Anyway, she told me that until she had completed her mission, I could possibly assist the Red Tribe with 'primitive activities' as she referred to it."

"You mean, like tribal stuff?"

"I...I guess so."

"Well, a friend of Ginger's is a friend of ours," Caesar told the cockatoo. "as long as you...don't eat all of our Brazil nuts."

"Meh. I was never crazy about nuts."

"Okay, well," Vaygar stated. "If you don't have anything better to do, you think you could help us gather some nuts to put into storage? We'll need a stash in case the Brazil nut shortage gets any worse than it already is."

"I might as well."

* * *

...

* * *

"So, Nigel," Uklah asked the cockatoo as she tossed a freshly plucked nut into a hole at the base of a tree. "Ginger told you about the Tytonic Union?"

"Not much," he responded as he wandered around the forest floor in search of fallen nuts, an idea he had thought he had overheard Ginger talking to herself about at one point. "All I really know is that it's an organization of owls."

"Have you considered joining?" a voice from above questioned. It was Kludd, having just returned from an egg-sitting session with Unk.

"Why, no. Not until you mention it, that is." He turned to Uklah. "Is he one of them?"

"He is," she replied. "So, Kludd, how'd the egg-sitting go?"

"It was just about as boring as watching blood dry," he stated. "Almost fell asleep, I did, but Unk said that dozing off showed unprofessionalism. He's still at it, though, so he probably won't be bothering us anymore for awhile."

"That's a relief. I can't stand him."

"Is Unk one of you as well?" Nigel asked.

"Ha! Unfortunately," Vaygar scoffed. "For some reason, Metal Beak put him in charge of the expedition."

"Is he annoying?"

"Nigel, Nigel. Calling Unk 'annoying' is the understatement of the century. He's childish, he's a bit koo-koo in the head. Must I go on?"

"No, no...I can imagine him well enough in that context."

"But putting him to the side, you might come to like the Tytonic Union. The majority of owls there are welcoming towards newcomers."

"Well, the owls there certainly seem smart. I couldn't bear to be surrounded by morons 24/7. I've already had more than enough experience regarding that..."

"Oh, you don't need to worry about idiots...besides...Unk, maybe...But he rarely leaves the St. Aggies canyons, so you wouldn't have to worry much about him, considering that the Canyonlands are on the opposite side of the Owl Kingdoms that the Beaks are on."

"So, this Beaks place is your, like, main base?"

"Exactly! The place lacks vegetation in most parts, save for a few patches of grass here and there sticking up out of the rocky ground, but it's quite a paradise. There are more rodents there than one could imagine, despite the lack of greens. Mice and voles hide all over the place."

"Not a lot of plants, huh? Not sure if I could get used to it."

"Well..." Uklah hesitated, knowing that there was only one place in the Beaks that presented such greenery. The only problem was its reputation for being quite haunting.

"There is...one place."

"Tell me. I'm all earslits."

"Well, it's simply referred to as the Mirror Lakes. It's an oasis, lush and green, and even holds some fruit bearing trees, but..." Uklah's voice trailed off.

"But what? Is there something bad going on there?"

"The Mirror Lakes..."

"What about them?"

"Three lakes in the middle of the oasis. Those are the Mirror Lakes from which the oasis gets its name. Everyone who looks at their reflection in the glass-smooth surface in the waters falls into a vain trance. They admire their reflection without stop. There are some tales of owls staring at themselves for days without end until they die of starvation and dehydration, as they have been able to focus on nothing but themselves. I fell into such a state once myself while paying a visit to the sinister oasis, and I probably would have had the same fate as all of the other poor owls who had admired their reflections for so long had the Pure One queen snapped me out of it and taken me away from that awful place."

"Well, what if I were to live in a tree that was distant from the waters?"

"That...might work. Unfortunately, you'd have to pay a visit to the lakes at some point. That's where all of the best voles are, and the lakes there are the only known major source of water in the entire kingdom of the Beaks."

"Is the water deadly if you drink it?"

"Why...no, it isn't. In fact, most of the drinking water in the Beaks is imported from the lakes."

"How do the owls who import the water keep from falling into the trance?"

"I've heard that wearing something over your face like a battle helm will protect you from the effects of the trance. If you can't see your whole face, you're safe."

"Well, it doesn't sound so bad. Perhaps if I laid my roots there, I would be able to function as a Pure One as well."

"Now that I think about it...it probably could work out if you took certain precautions."

"Most likely. But, tell me, Uklah. What exactly do the Pure Ones do?"

"Do? We do a lot of things. But our main focus at the time being is to take control of the Owl Kingdoms. They've been facing hardships in recent times, and if we gain their control, we could establish laws to govern them towards peace. Especially the Northern Kingdoms. They're fighting with each other all the time."

"So...fighting, basically?"

"Well, that is a major factor, but that's not all there is to it. Many of us also perform activities such as restoring eggs and owlets to fallen nests, colliering, and we've even invented a few useful products that could potentially prove useful in the owl community."

"Really, now? Well, I may just find a liking to all of these different options."

"Which do you think would suit you the best?"

"I would probably be most effective in the battle squadrons, considering my past life. I did quite a bit of wrestling back in the day."

"I wouldn't think Queen Nyra would mind having you in the force at all. I mean, if she and King Metal Beak want macaws, why wouldn't they want a cockatoo?"

"Sign me up then!"

"That we shall! As...as soon as we return to the Owl Kingdoms, that is."

"And how far away are these Owl Kingdoms you speak of?"

"Pretty far. Middle of the south Pacific, in fact."

"Well, I'll probably find a way to get there. I don't think my main source of transportation could bring me all the way there, though, without a rest."

"Main source of transportation?" Uklah questioned. "What would that be?"

"Mute anteater named Charlie. His tongue rivals even the Swiss Army Knife with what it can do."

"Hm...We'll probably think of something before we have to leave, though. Don't worry yourself about it right now."

"Meh. Sounds fine," the cockatoo agreed as he chucked another Brazil nut into the stash.

"How do you think Ginger's doing over there, Nigel?" Kludd inquired.

"I only left the other side of the grove about two hours ago, more or less. And she gave me the option of coming here right before I headed out. I'm sure she's doing fine."


	16. Chapter 15: A Risk that Must be Taken

"So, Sonata," Blu began as the lot of them left the Mango Clearing. "Do you think we could go visit Eduardo while we're out and about so you could explain your plan to him?"

Ginger wasn't sure, worried that the Blu Macaw Tribe leader would manage to see through her disguise. But she knew that telling him her idea was possibly one of the only ways to bring peace to the clans, so she nodded.

"Where does he live?"

"I...I'm not sure."

"I know where he lives," Jewel told them. "He is my dad, so..."

"Well, let's make haste!" The owl flew slightly ahead of Jewel, though close enough to tell which direction she was heading in, and not wanting to waste a moment getting there.

The sooner I get this over with, the better.

* * *

...

* * *

"Well, this is the place," Jewel said as the six birds landed on a branch in front of a hollow as big as the one she and the rest of the Spix's Macaw was staying. Eduardo was inside, wearing a welcoming smile.

"Hey, there's my girl!" he greeted, pulling her close in a warm embrace. "How's life treating you? Anything I could do to help with anything?"

"Well, actually," Blu piped up meekly. "Uh...we..."

"Oh," Eduardo let go of his daughter and looked at her husband, fairly unamused by his presence. "I see Sue came along as well."

Blu grumbled. Why did he never remember his name? Or did he remember it and was just saying it wrong to antagonize him? He wasn't sure, but he wasn't amused either.

"Well, you see, sir," the macaw began again. "It's not what you can do for us, but what we can do for you."

"Oh, really?"

"Oh, no, no, I know what you're thinking, it's not my idea."

"Then whos is it?"

"It's...well...I suppose you haven't met Sonata, have you?"

"Sonata? What's that?"

"Someone Blu met on the forest floor," Jewel explained. "She came with us to the hollow."

"Well, where is she?"

They all turned around to find that she was not there.

"Sonata?" Blu called. "Where'd you go?"

"She's probably nervous," Jewel surmised. "She's spent her whole life isolated from the rest of the tribe."

"Isolated?" Eduardo questioned.

"She's never really had any interaction with anyone else but us as of now," she explained.

"Why would she do that?"

"She's...well..." Jewel hesitated, not wanting to make Sonata sound like a freak of some sort. "She's...kind of...deformed."

"You mean, like, defected? In what way?"

"You know, physically. But I'd rather not explain in detail. I don't want to make her feel bad."

"How bad is it? Faulty wings, mangled talons?"

"Well, it's not as bad as that," she whispered into his earslit. "Just facial issues. Blu told me that it actually makes her look kind of like an owl."

"What's an owl?" Eduardo had never heard the term before."

"Some kind of bird that doesn't live in these parts. They can spin their heads on their thin necks and they have large eyes."

"Ah, I see."

"Sonata, is something wrong?" she heard her husband ask the macaw from outside.

"I...don't know if I can do this, that's all. Could you just pleeeeaase do it for me?"

"Sorry, but if you want to let him know, you'll have to do it yourself."

Ginger mustered up her courage, puffed up her chest feathers, then entered the hollow, stepping up to the clan leader in an almost military fashion. He was a might taller than what she'd pictured, having only seen him once when she was flying over him. Now that she was standing before him, though, he looked a lot more gruff and intimidating. Ginger silently prayed to Glaux that he wouldn't recognize her.

"H-hello...sir. I uh...it-I'm...I'd like to say..." She'd never stuttered so much in her life, but she still tried to maintain professionalism. Eduardo, however, could see that the deformed macaw was nervous.

"You say you have an idea that could possibly benefit the whole grove, huh? I am quite willing to hear it."

She scolded herself. If he didn't see through her disguise now, what were the odds of it happening at all. Ginger puffed herself up again, inhaled, and let out her thoughts the exact way a general would.

"Sir, I have devised a plan that could benefit the birds on both sides of the grove, sir! Fallen Brazil nuts scattered all over the forest floor may still be in condition to eat, sir! Collecting and eating the fallen nuts could increase the abundance of food greatly, sir! My strategy is to keep three fourths of the nuts for eating and to plant the remaining quarter to grow more nut trees, sir!"

Her speech was incredibly fast. And every time she used the word 'sir', she greatly emphasized it in attempt to dignify his authority.

"Rotten nuts found are to be buried to fertilize the ones we plant, sir! Encouraging these actions on both sides of the Brazil nut grove could lead to eventual peace between the blue and red tribes, sir! Any questions? SIR!"

Eduardo stared blankly at her, trying to piece together what she had said. She had spoken so quickly, it was a difficult task to hold on to every word. Fearing the worst if she stayed for much longer, Ginger inched towards the hollow opening, then, as Eduardo turned to look at his mate, slipped out and swiftly flew away. The old Spix's Macaw caught the sight out of the corner of his eye.

"Hey! Wait!" he called. But it was too late. She had already disappeared into the jungle. Deciding that it wasn't that big a deal as long as Eduardo was able to piece together the message, he left it alone as he began to think some more.

"I think it's time you guys head out," he told his family. "I need some time to decipher Sonata's speech."

"Yes sir," Bia acknowledged as she and the rest of them left the large hollow.

"Have fun out there!" he called as they too flew out of sight. Once they were gone, the old bird went back to working on decoding the deformed macaw's plan.

"Okay, she said something about nuts falling onto the ground. Then...What about fertilizer? Why would we need fertilizer...Plants need fertilizer. Compost makes fine fertilizer. For the Brazil nut trees? The ones...we plant? Okay, so she wants to plant more trees. But that would require us to pick more nuts off the trees we have already, and it takes years for trees to reach that height. Wait. But didn't she say something about...fallen nuts."

Now things were beginning to make sense.

"Oh! She wants to gather fallen nuts off the forest floor! We eat most of the ones that are still good, use the rest of them to plant somewhere, then use any rotten nuts we find to bury alongside the planted ones to nourish them! I wonder how many nuts we could find down there. Scores, hundreds, who knows! And if the Red Tribe does the same..."

He stopped there. The thought of peace between the tribes set his gizzard ablaze. He was tired of being taunted by the other tribe, but no borders meant less skirmishes. That was all he knew, and all he began to care about. Without hesitation, Eduardo flew off to gather his best birds to begin the nut gathering.


	17. Chapter 16: Return to the Red Side

Ginger knew that she would remain perfectly concealed underneath the lower canopy. She dared not emerge until she knew she was in the clearing.

 _I wonder if Eduardo even knows what I said to him._ she thought. _I was afraid I would slip up in one way or another at some point. Oh, well. At least he still doesn't know who I am. I'd probably be in for quite a fight if he were to find out I was the owl who antagonized him a few days ago. Come, on, Ginger!_

She conked herself on the head with a clenched fist of feathers as a form of self-discipline. _How could you be so stupid as to try to attack him!?_

She supposed that it was about time she headed back to the other side of the grove. The other Pure Ones, as well as Felipe and his brothers, were probably wondering what was taking her so long to return. As for now, she knew her mission had been accomplished. She knew the way back to the border river, so she waddled along the ground, aiming for the Red Macaws' land. As she walked, however, she happened to notice a red X slashed in red on the base of one of the trees she passed. The more she looked at it, the more curious she became.

What could that mean? She continued to stare at it, not knowing what made it or even what the cross itself was made of. Ginger ultimately decided that it wasn't that important to her cause, so she tried vainly to forget about it. But the farther she wandered from the X slashed tree, the more it strengthened the unsettling feeling in her gizzard. Ginger decided that this was not something to be ignored, and knew it would be wise to ask Felipe about it should he have any idea as to what it meant. Knowing that it was now imperative that she reach the other side of the grove as soon as possible, she began to run towards the border river as soon as possible. Once she did finally reach the stream, she scanned the area for any other Spix's Macaws. The coast was clear, so she darted like a lightning bolt straight across the river as fast as her wings could carry her.

* * *

...

* * *

"I'm telling you Felipe," the old Scarlet Macaw lectured his son. "That bird is bad news. She's bound to get us into another territory battle with the other Tribe."

"Dad, _I'm_ telling _you_ that she's the answer to our prayers. She's a professional spy, so there's no doubt she knows what she's doing!"

"He's right, Marco," Unk added, taking Felipe's side of the dispute. "If there's one thing we know that Ginger's good at, it's blending in. And this isn't the first time she's infiltrated enemy ranks."

"Well, how did the first time go?" Marco asked the Great Horned Owl, trying to get a negative response out of him regarding the subject.

"Ginger fooled the Guardians of Ga'Hoole into thinking she was on their side with flying colors. And the Guardians are much more advanced than your society, so Ginger should really have less of a problem over there than she would at Ga'Hoole."

"Guardians of Ga'Hoole? Who are they?"

"I believe Ginger said something about them while I was on the other side with her," Nigel stated, not trying to take any part of the argument going on.

"They are the reason we ever came to the Amazon in the first place, Marco, sir," Uklah responded. "They are bent on destroying the Tytonic Union, and without strong allies and plentiful reinforcements, there's no way we could survive long with them on the hunt."

Marco's anger was suddenly replaced with a small amount of pride. "The Red Tribe? Strong?"

"Indeed, sir."

"Hm..." He was a might flattered. "Hmph." But the grumpy scowl soon returned to his beak. "I'll give that owl another day to return or the deal is off."

"What do you mean 'deal?"

All of the owls swiveled their heads around to see a Spix's Macaw, who was actually Ginger still in disguise, perched on a branch behind the group.

"AMBUSH!"

Before any of them could stop him, Marco pounced on her with open talons, convinced that she was indeed a member of the other tribe. There were flashes of red and blue as he and Ginger thrashed about through the air. The two sides seemed equal, but despite Marco's bigger size and greater strength, Ginger was better trained. The moment she discovered an opening, she did the same thing she did to Nigel when he too falsely attacked her; slash him across the face, though not as hard as she'd done to the cockatoo. Defeated, Marco threw the owl off of him with his wings in an escape attempt before flying unsteadily back to the branch his sons were on.

"Don't..." He was exhausted, and the two shallow wounds on his cheek had begun to turn red. "Don't just sit there boys!...Get...That...BIRD!"

"Dad," Felipe corrected his father. "That's Ginger."

"I...eh...What?"

"We sent her to the other side looking like that," he answered.

Marco took a better look at her, she herself now perched on a branch across from him. He could barely see the dark blue rim encompassing her flat face. It was indeed the young Barn Owl, but he was still upset.

"I...well...That doesn't mean she's off the hook for attacking me!" Marco pointed to the two lightly bleeding scratches on his face. Felipe was already annoyed, as were his brothers and the present Pure Ones, but this was the last straw for him in particular.

"Hey!" he snapped at his father. "She didn't attack you! You attacked her! She only did that in her self-defense!"

"It's true," Ginger added, although she actually did get a slight amount of pleasure out of it.

Marco turned his back on her and looked out at the trees for a few seconds before facing her again, having calmed himself a bit.

"It was an honest mistake, Ginger," he told her. "Anyone could have made it."

While the young general didn't exactly see this as a subtle apology, she decided to keep her beak shut to avoid anymore conflict between the two of them.

"So," Marco's looked her in the eye. "What exactly did you do on the other side?"

Ginger was not afraid to answer his question.

"I believe my actions may positively influence both sides of the grove, Marco. While there, I got an idea that could help with your food scarcity."

"Oh, really? What's that?"

"It turns out that there a lot of Brazil Nuts being wasted because of them falling onto the ground before they can be picked and eaten, and not a lot of birds spend time on or near the forest floor. But if both tribes were to gather the fallen fruits, they could be used in a number of ways. Felipe, you said that when the loggers came here they cut down a number of trees?"

"That is correct."

"While most of the nuts could most likely be eaten, some of them could also be planted, which, in time, would help to restore the lost parts of the grove."

Marco hung on to every word, trying to find a slip-up in her plan.

"What if nuts are found that are no longer edible?"

"Rotten, you mean?"

"Exactly!" His triumphant tone made Felipe roll his eyes in disgust over his father's behavior. "Never considered that, did you?"

"Actually, I did. Overripe Brazil nuts could be buried next to fresher ones that have been planted to grow into more trees, nourishing them as they further decay."

Marco opened his beak again, as if he were about to throw something else right back at her. But nothing came out. He looked away again, now beginning to stare out into space trying to think of something else to say.

"I think you got him," Nigel commented.

"You think so?"

"Probably, Ging'. He seems pretty blank."

They all waited for the Scarlet Macaw to respond, but he never did. He simply flew off into the trees and disappeared.

"I guess he didn't have anything else in him," Kludd remarked.

"Looks that way," Vaygar replied, still looking in the direction the old macaw flew off in. "You don't think he decided to put Ginger's plan into action, do you?"

"I don't know," Caesar said. "What do you think, Felipe?"

"I'm not sure either, but whatever he plans on doing, it probably doesn't involve having anymore skirmishes with Ginger."

The birds had a good laugh before parting and returning to their roosts for the evening.


	18. Chapter 17: To Join as One Force

"So, I'm assuming everything went fairly well over there?"

"For the most part," Ginger responded as she and Felipe landed inside the hollow. "I'm just glad nobody over there saw through my disguise."

"Yeah. That was one of my main concerns over here, too. I mean if they'd found out you were one of us, not only would we possibly be left without food at this point, but my dad would have had you by the neck."

"I know." Ginger shuddered at the thought of such an image; the grizzly old macaw strangling her with just one set of his gray talons.

"Speaking of which, how exactly do you remove this disguise?"

"It washes off with mud, but it's getting a bit late to be doing that at this point. The jaguars are on the prowl by now."

"Yeah, most likely not a good idea to be on the ground this time of day, eh?"

It was then that Ginger remembered what she'd seen on her way back from the Blue Macaw territory.

"Uh...Hey, Felipe," she hesitated.

"What?"

"I, uh...I happened to see something weird on my way back over here, and I was wondering if you'd be able to make any sense of it."

"Lay it on me, Ginger, I'm all ears."

'Well, as I was walking towards the river, I happened upon a tree that had some weird red 'X' painted on it near the base of its trunk."

Felipe's eyes widened.

"I didn't know how it got there, but I doubt it was an animal that did it. I decided to ask you about it, so...Any possibilities, you think?...Felipe?"

The Scarlet Macaw simply stared blankly out into space, as though he had never heard a word she said after the first sentence.

"Uh, Felipe...Are you-"

Before she could continue, the leader of the Red Tribe toppled over backward in a dead faint.

* * *

...

* * *

"Felipe! Bro!" He heard Caesar's voice calling. He slowly regained consciousness, blinking rapidly to restore his blurry vision. Ginger and his two brothers continued to hover above him.

"He's awake, give him some space," Ginger told the other two macaws. "Felipe, what was that all about?"

"What was whah?..." He was still a bit disoriented.

"You collapsed on us, Felipe," Mario informed him. "Had us all worried for a bit, actually."

"I had the most horrible nightmare." he told them, slowly rising to his feet. "I dreamt that Ginger told me the loggers were back."

The other two macaws cringed.

"The loggers?" Ginger questioned, remembering Felipe telling her about the dreaded foresters that reduced their living space and food supply years back. "They don't have anything to do with the red 'X' I saw at the base of the tree, do they?"

"There's a what on what!?" Caesar screeched. Felipe collapsed again.

"Oh, no, no, no..." Mario muttered as he began to pace nervously around the hollow.

"What? What is it?" the Barn Owl questioned.

"The 'X' you saw," Mario asked shakily. "Di-did it look fairly new or do you think it was there for a long time?"

"It looked pretty new to me. No chips in the paint, and it was pretty bright...almost like blood had been painted across it."

The brothers' eyes continued to widen.

"THEY'RE BACK!"

"The loggers!?"

"GYAAAAAAAHHHHHH!" Felipe let out an ear-piercing scream as he bolted upright. "NOT AGAIN! WE'RE GONNA DIE!"

"Everyone, just CALM DOWN!" Ginger screamed, instantly calling their attention and also waking some other birds in the nearby area. "Is there anyway we could potentially fight back and protect ourselves from these guys instead of just giving up?"

"I...I don't think so!" Felipe stuttered, barely able to speak fluently due to the nerve-wracking terror he was experiencing. "Do you!?"

Ginger glanced at her talons. Then she looked at her battleclaws resting behind her temporary nest.

"It's risky, but there may be a way..."

* * *

...

* * *

The following morning, Felipe called the entirety of his tribe to meet by the border river. Every single Red Macaw that lived in the grove came and gathered by the water's edge, forming a boisterous crowd. Felipe perched atop a fairly tall boulder, about twice the size of a jaguar. Ginger sat to his right, and the macaw's brothers, the rest of the trainees, Nigel, Charlie, Gabi and Unk stood around it.

"Fellow macaws," Felipe began. "May I have your attention?"

The birds all fixed their attention on their clan leader.

"You're probably wondering why I..." Felipe yawned mid-sentence, having barely gotten a wink of sleep last night. "You're probably wondering why I've called you all here. I'm afraid I have some very bad news."

The intense gaze of the Red Tribe grew wider.

"The loggers have returned."

The tribe was suddenly swept with a wave of panic. Gasps filled the surrounding atmosphere, and some of the birds began flying about in horror.

"Quiet! QUIET!" he yelled, once again gaining the attention of the tribe. "You all remember the last time this happened, right?"

"How could we not!?" one of the birds in the crowd answered. "We had to evacuate, and almost half of our grove was destroyed in our absence!"

"Well, this time we're not going to run!" Felipe looked around at the noble owls surrounding him. "We're going to fight back!"

The clan continued to exclaim in shock.

"Order!" he commanded before turning to the Barn Owl beside him. "General Ginger will now speak of this matter. Alright, Ging', take the stage."

Ginger nodded hesitantly and let out a shrill, but clipped screech to get the clan's attention. The crowd went silent and stared at the Barn Owl.

"Um...Hello..."

The clan looked at her skeptically. Most of them hadn't had the chance to meet her, and some of them had never even laid eyes upon her before. But if Felipe said she was alright, they decided it would be a good idea to pay attention to what she had to say to them.

"I...I know we haven't known each other for very long, but...You can agree with the fact that we're friends, right?"

Some of them gave barely discernible nods, guessing they should concur.

"Yeah, that's right, you're right. But, really, it's more that just that. I've known Felipe for a while now, and I believe it's safe to say that we're not just friends."

The Red Tribe listened more intently.

"We're military allies. And you know what allies do with each other right?"

Silence. Ginger guessed that they'd never formed a tight bond with another force with strength comparable to their own.

"Allies Help each other out. They assist each other in times of poverty, or warfare, or whatever the case may be. You welcomed us into your society with open wings, and in favor, we helped you with things like harvesting nuts, caring for chicks, and Felipe may not have told you this, but I went over to the other side of the grove in disguise and thought up a way to up the Blue Clan's nut production. And not just for them, it'll work just as well for us if it does for them if we do the same thing! And not I'm not 100% certain, but there's a chance my actions over there could probably even end the whole dispute you're having with them."

The crowd let out a few light chuckles. Ginger weren't sure if they were laughing because they didn't believe such a miracle could ever happen, or if they did believe it, and just found the way she put the idea into context amusing.

"But I'm going off topic," she continued. "The point is it's not all the works of just one side that keeps an alliance going. It's the actions made by both sides in order to help each other in rough times, to give to each other. And that's exactly what both of us have been doing over the past week, right?"

This time, the clan seemed much more intrigued. More birds nodded in agreement, and there were smiles on quite a few beaks.

"Now is the time for us to combine our abilities and use them to fight against these loggers! This is your home! Your land! Your pride! Are we going to let some humans come and take it from us!?"

" **NO!** " the birds chanted simultaneously.

"So, are we gonna do something about it!?"

" **YEAH!** "

"WHO WANTS TO SAVE THE GROVE!?"

" **WE DO!** "

"WHO'S WITH ME!?"

The crowd gave another cheer.

"Alright!" She didn't care what Unk said. Her leadership was crucial at this time, and she looked down and watched the Great Horned Owl nod in approval. He knew what had to be done.

"Left half, go out and harvest as many Brazil Nuts as you can find! Both from the trees and from the ground! Store away the good ones, and the rotten ones keep close by, as we'll need them when it's fight time. Right half, head out with the other trainee owls and gather sharp scraps of wood to tie onto your talons. They'll make decent temporary battleclaws for the time being. Unk, you're in charge of the young'uns, Round up all of the chicks and fledglings and take them to the center of the grove. They'll me much safer there."

"Normally, I'd disapprove of you taking over, but honestly, you'll do a much better job of this than I ever would, so I willingly leave this part to you."

"That's good to hear. But you best hurry. Glaux knows how much time we have. Felipe, Mario, Caesar and Marco, the four of you are to patrol the extremities of the grove. Felipe here by the river just in case the Blue Tribe becomes suspicious of what's going on over here. If anyone from the other side asks, explain it to them. There's always a chance they'd might want to take part of the action. Caesar, you take the east end of the grove, Mario patrols the north end, and Marco does the south. If anyone sees any sign of the loggers, spread word of their location as soon as possible. We'll need everyone in the tribe to fight them off. you hear?"

"We got it," Felipe replied with a confident nod.

"Then get to it!"

The three brothers flew off in their assigned directions immediately, but Marco kept his position for a few seconds, looking the owl square in the eye.

"You'd better know what you're doing," he rasped angrily before heading south. Ginger watched him as he vanished into the foliage.

 _My Glaux, what's wrong with that guy?_ she asked herself. _It's like he thinks he should be in charge all the time, and he's not even the head of the tribe!_

"Ginger!" a small voice piped up. Ginger looked down to see that Nigel, Gabi, and Charlie were still there with her.

"What is it?"

"What do you suppose we could do?"

"Oh..." Ginger couldn't believe that she'd forgotten about them. She simply styared at the poison dart frog as she tried to think of something.

"Ging'?"

"Ah! Got it! Gabi, do you think you could put your venom to use in this battle?"

"Probably. When I was younger, my parents told me that I was so poisonous, that if I so much as tapped them with one of the pads of my toes, they would die almost instantly."

"Wow, that must be some pretty potent venom. Hm...What if the lot of you went around gathering sticks with the second half of the tribe? Gabi could place some of her venom on the ends of some of them, and when the time comes to attack, Charlie could fire them out of his multi-purpose snout as deadly projectiles. Also, he could probably be able to carry quite a few sticks, considering both his size and, most likely, strength. Do you think you could handle being a pack-anteater?"

The mute creature nodded in her response.

"I could ride him into battle!" Nigel decreed.

"As long as he's unburdened of his stick load by then and he's filled with plenty of ants. His energy may play a fairly important part in these events.

"Affirmative. Alright, let's get out there and get ready to fight!"

Nigel and his gang ran off into the foliage, leaving Ginger by herself.

And I will have the most important job, she said to herself. I will head to the center of the grove and try to pick up any sound that could be a threat. We owls don't have superior hearing for nothing. Time to put it to some good use.

That being decided, the young Barn Owl spread her wings and began her way to the middle of the grove, Marco's words from before still echoing in her head. As they continued to repeat themselves, Ginger began to have doubts about this whole operation

 _What if I don't know what I'm doing? Oh, shut up, Ginger! Of course you know what you're doing! And lack of confidence is never beneficial in times like this! You can't back away now. You've already gotten so far. You're going to complete your assignment the rest of the way. No turning back now. No turning back..._


	19. Chapter 18: The Moments Before the War

Felipe flew back and forth across the river, from the south end of the grove to the north and back, over and over again, seeing nothing amiss. On occasions where he met up with either Mario or his father, he would question them on the well-being of the side they were patrolling. So far, there were no alerts, but that didn't mean there wouldn't be, so he kept doing his job monitoring the outskirts of their treasured sanctuary. It wasn't until he'd been flying for an hour that he heard the sound of countless beating wings, and they were coming from the other side of the river. Felipe began to hover in place, then looked beyond the river, getting as close as he was able to without entering the forbidden territory. Then he saw it. It looked like the entirety of the Blue Macaw Tribe was heading right for the river, and at high speed.

"ALERT! ALERT!" he screamed, some of the harvesters on the ground nearby coming to his aid.

"What's the trouble?" one of them asked. "Are the loggers here!?"

"No, but they are!"

They were easily able to witness the approaching Blue Tribe.

"What do they want!?"

"Maybe they're on to us," Felipe surmised. "We're gonna have to settle this verbally. But this time, I don't mean taunting. Come on!"

The six harvesters followed their clan leader upward, three on his left, three on his right. To their relief, the entire tribe stopped dead in their wakes once they saw them. Immediately, Felipe confronted Eduardo, who was apparently leading his clan members to the other side.

"Alright, Eddie, what's the deal?"

"Felipe, I know it looks like an invasion, but I swear on my mother's behalf, it's not. We're evacuating! The loggers are back!"

"They're on YOUR side of the grove!?"

"Yeah, they are! We need to get out of here now!"

"NO, Eduardo!" The young Scarlet Macaw let out a sigh before continuing, many of the Blue Tribe members perching on their branches.

"We knew that the loggers had returned."

"Then why didn't you tell any of us!? Huh!?"

"I WOULD HAVE! That's why I was here patrolling the border, to see if any of you happened by so I could explain the situation. And...Well, I wasn't expecting you to come flying our way with your WHOLE TRIBE in tow."

"Well, I did. Now, if you knew the loggers were back, why haven't you also evacuated your tribe?"

"Because...Well, remember that owl that came with us the last time we came to, you know..."

"You mean that weird bird with the flat face and brown feathers?"

"Yeah! She brought some friends along, and they're all part of this organization in the middle of the ocean somewhere called the Pure Ones. The point is, they're fairly good at peacemaking, but they also know how to fight, and we've united so that we can actually try to defend out territory this time instead of escaping."

"Oh, really?"

"Would I be lying at a time like this!?"

"I...I suppose not...but if you wanna drive the loggers off, you're...You're gonna have to come to our side of the grove if your plans are to fight them! But no funny business, you hear!?"

"I understand. Harvesters, go and spread the word!"

In a flash the six other macaws were off.

"Now, Eddie, I know this sounds crazy, but are you and the rest of the Tribe willing to get in on this?"

"You mean, you want us to help you?"

"Exactly! I know we don't exactly get along, but the more of us there are, the higher our chances of success are. It's a huge risk, but it's for the greater good...Will you join the war?"

The two clan leaders landed of the Blue clan's side of the river. Eduardo looked away from the Scarlet Macaw and thought for a moment about the ordeal, and how it would possibly effect not only the ways of life for both clans, but also their future.

"Alright, fine," he finally decided, turning to his tribe. "Alright, you heard us. Get to the edge of the grove and prepare for battle!"

The lot of Spix's Macaws obeyed and left for the western perimeter of the grove that moment.

"Alright, Eddie, I'll go tell the birds on my side about what's going on. I'll come back as quickly as I can!"

Felipe took off and disappeared into the jungle, leaving Eduardo the last one by the river.

 _I might as well head on over to where we'll be doing this whole thing._ he decided before taking off himself.

* * *

...

* * *

"Alert! Alert!" Felipe sounded off the warning signal a bit closer to the center of the grove. "Spread the word! Change of plans! I have orders to gather every last member of the Red Tribe and gather on the western edge of the BLUE side of the grove! No hesitation! Everyone come on, now! Move, move, move!"

Word got around exceedingly quickly, and only within a few minutes, the entire clan was heading to the border river where Felipe was waiting, including the small amount of Pure Ones and Nigel and his gang. However, once they all reached the edge of their territory, they stopped dead in their wakes.

"Well?" Felipe was on the other side of the river, much to everyone's shock. "What are you waiting for!? Come on over?"

"But that's the Blue side!" someone in the crowd of macaws protested.

"Don't worry! I have permission from Eddie to cross!"

"Why exactly is that?!" Ginger questioned, her soldiers armed and Unk lagging slightly behind.

"There's been a bit of an unexpected turn, Ginger. Turns out, the loggers are invading the Blue Macaw territory and not ours!"

"Aw, racdrops, why was I so stupid!?" the Barn Owl swore, having forgotten the fact that she'd come across the slashed tree on that side of the grove instead of theirs.

"Nothing we can't fix, bud. Now, listen up everyone. The other tribe has agreed to combine forces with us to create a stronger army for fighting the loggers. I want everyone to respect what they've allowed, so no arguing, no mocking and nothing else of the sort is allowed, because that could put our treasured grove at a higher risk. Understood!?"

There seemed to be a bit of skepticism among the Red Tribe, but they knew they were at a time of war, so they decided to comply.

"Alright, let's move out, soldiers!" Ginger commanded as she and the rest of all of the birds headed out, except for Unk.

"Wait! WAIT!" he called out from the forest floor. Ginger turned around midflight as she began to leave and began to hiver while facign him.

"What!? Aren't you coming!?"

"I...I thought it would be better if I stayed here!"

"For what!?"

"You know, to tend to the young'uns!"

Ginger thought for a moment, remembering that the pit guardians had had no experience on the battlefield. Perhaps it would be a better idea to leave him in the grove while the rest of them went to fight. Besides, he could mess something up in one of the squadrons if he had no clue what he was doing, which would be fatal to the mission.

"Alright, fine, but do us a favor and don't do anything to jeopardize the mission!"

"Can do, General. Just be safe out there."

Saying these things, the two Pure Ones went their separate, scheduled ways. As Ginger caught up with the rest of the fleet of birds, she began to think.

 _Alright, Ginger, this is probably going to be one of the most important battles of your life, especially due to the fact that we're actually fending off an army of HUMANS. Well, there is definitely strength in our numbers, and I assume that there can only be so many people involved in this logging business. Most likely not as many of them as there are of us. At least...I hope there isn't. Just stay alert, give orders quickly, but fluently, nonetheless, and fight like you've never fought before. You never know which battle could be your last..._

Ginger had never actually considered until now the blatant fact that she could easily be killed in a war like this. Despite the obvious possibility, Ginger adamantly denied it.

 _No. You can't die. If you die, that'll be one less fighter in the Tytonic Union. Besides, I'm General of the trainee owls, the owls with probably the most potential in the entire organization. The Pure Ones can't afford a loss like that. Stand your guard, General. If you make it through, the whole union will benefit. So stay strong, and encourage your soldiers to do the same..._


	20. Chapter 19: Fight for the Flock

"There!" Felipe called out to the army of birds behind him. "I see them!"

"The loggers, you mean!?" Ginger yelled back.

"Well, duh! Don't you see all the heavy-duty equipment they hauled along with them!?"

With her keen eyesight, Ginger made out numerous black and yellow vehicles along the barren land just outside the grove. They must have already started to eliminate trees in the area. The owl found their behavior sickening to the point where she wanted to yarp a dozen pellets in the face of each human there.  
But she wouldn't with everything else she had to do in this battle. Perhaps she could when they had defeated the loggers...But enough of that. Now was the time for action. Felipe perched in one of the trees in the field that was still intact, the rest of the birds staying hidden among the thicker leaves a bit farther in. Ginger perched beside the clan leader.

"So, where's the other clan?" Ginger questioned.

"Right here."

The voice that came from behind her was none other than Eduardo's. Ginger wilfed a bit in his presence.

"Oh, hey, heh heh...Uh..."

"Whatever it is, spit it out, general."

"Uh...huh..." Ginger was surprised that the old macaw she'd made fun of actually bothered to refer to her by her military rank. Maybe he'd forgiven her. Either that or he just wanted to make himself sound more professional. "So, how exactly are you wanting to do this?"

"What do you think?"

"Well...I was thinking an ambush..."

"A quickly-executed surprise attack?"

"Well, surprise is key, yes. But we can't rush in blindly. This is a much more complex threat that what we as birds are familiar with."

"You're right. How do you suppose we do in those machines?"

"I don't think the machines are quite as big a concern as the humans themselves. Remember, they're the ones using them."

"How does that make them any less dangerous?"

"They have to be INSIDE the vehicles in order to operate them. They can't run on their own."

"Oooohh, I see what you're gettin' at," Felipe commented with a smirk. "How are we gonna unman them, though?"

"Simple. We chase them out."

"Just fly after them?"

"Exactly."

"What if they decide to stay inside for protection?"

"Hmm...I say we try to break through one side so they decide to run out the other."

"Huh...That's actually not such a bad idea."

"But what if more of them arm the machines?"

"Around four or five soldiers will block the entrances. Violence may be necessary, though. Don't hesitate to use those make-shift battleclaws. I also considered sending out a few troops carrying fresh nuts to bombard the enemy. Uklah, how much damage do you suppose that would do to the enemy force?"

"The hardness of the shells on those things is actually comparable to that of rock when dry," the other Barn Owl surmised, happening to have one in her clutches. "The fresher nuts would probably be better ammunition, because the rotted ones may not be quite as sturdy. After the battle is over, we can most likely recollect the fresh nuts."

"Do you suppose dropping one from a high enough altitude could cause damage to a skull?"

"Likely, but if not, the pain of the impact alone should be enough to send some of them running."

"Then it's settled." Ginger turned to the mixed flock of birds. "Is everyone ready to get out there?"

There was a brief moment of silence before Eduardo spoke up.

"Yes. We are. We're not going to lose our home this time."

The multitude of birds slowly drew closer to the edge of the forested area, the Barn Owl leading them in.

"See that crane over there?" Ginger pointed with a feather to the north east. One of the mechanisms was coming their way at a seemingly alarming rate. The operator inside was oblivious to the enemy's presence.

"On my order, we strike with an ambush. Is everybody prepared?"

The birds behind her gave her an intense glare of determination. Eddie and Felipe nodded in approval.

Ginger kept a sharp eye on the rig. It drew closer and closer with each passing moment. It seemed to take ages, but it was, in all reality, only a matter of seconds before the owl hollered the command.

" **ATTACK!"**

In that instant, the entirety of both clans, Blue and Red, swarmed the surrounding area like a mass of locusts, ready to tear through the army of their mortal enemies. The humans noticed the ambush in an instant. Many of them manned the cranes, but the majority began to flee into the unknown parts of the rainforest.

"Run!" Ginger taunted as she lead a few dozen melee fighters, as well as her own troops, onto the field. "Run like the cowardly maggots you are!"

Flying low and close behind the multitude of running humans, they extended their battleclaws, prepared to slice into some flesh. But it seemed as though the gore would be unnecessary, as they had already fled the area in a panic.

"Well, that was easier than I expected," Uklah commented as Ginger's followers hovered in place. "But the fight isn't over yet. We should pursue the ones manning the machinery."

"Yes," her leader agreed. "You heard her, troops, let's take care of the rest of them!"

Making a full U-turn, Ginger and her following soldiers headed for the first crane they saw. Most of the others were already swarmed by members of the tribes, therefore making them more difficult to spot, so they targeted one of the few on the field that wasn't being overridden with attackers.  
They were quick to change that, though. The three men hiding inside the mechanism hid underneath the dashboard, the birds on the outside of the left door hissing and screeching at them, trying to chase them out the other. But they wouldn't budge. Among the hurricane of feathers, Ginger caught sight of one of them reaching for a black...object attached to a cord near the left lever. He then appeared to be yelling into it. With all of the commotion of her fellow fighters, she was barely able to make out what he was supposed to be saying.

Whatever he's doing, it can't be good. she said to herself, an unsettling feeling having crept into her gizzard, and her mind going into haywire trying to come up with ideas on how to get them out and away from the grove.

Frantically, she looked down at the bare ground, catching sight of a rock. The owl swopped down and snatched it up in her talons, finding it to be about as big as the Brazil nuts. She carried it to the window, a vicious scowl on her face, then began to pound the stone on the glass, cracking it, and screeching at the humans inside all the while. The three looked at each other with wide eyes before fleeing out the right hand side of the crane. As they headed hastily into the bush where the others had gone, a brigade of nut bombers above unleashed their weapons upon them. They shielded their heads with their hands as they disappeared into the woods.

"HA! Victory!" Kludd scoffed as they watched the remaining humans flee. "Good idea you had with the rock, General."

"Don't sweat it," Ginger replied. She scanned the area for any other potential threats, finding nothing out of the ordinary, other than, of course the numerous other birds on the field.

"May I have everyone's attention!" Ginger shouted, calling over the multitude of feathered warriors. "The human forces have been vanquished!"

"Already?"

Ginger swiveled her head around to find Felipe hovering behind her. He was a bit surprised at how easy the operation was, but nonetheless pleased with how well it went.

"Yep. It seems that way."

"Well, I guess those pesky humans will think twice before they mess wi-"

"Hold on," Uklah interrupted the conversation, turning her head this way and that.

"What's she doing?" Felipe questioned.

"Triangulating sounds. We Barn Owls can hear things you can't."

After about another ten seconds, Uklah straightened up, then turned to the two.

"Something's coming." Her voice portrayed obvious concern.

"I hear it too," Ginger replied. "It sounds like another-"

"What?" the Scarlet Macaw asked her.

Neither of the owls responded. They all watched as a beige car entered the open area. Now, all of the other birds on the field had their eyes on it. Something about the vehicle made their gizzards wrench. It stopped on the edge. Another human stepped out, not even noticing the army of birds before him. His face was hidden underneath the hat he wore, which added to the ominous aura about him. Ginger assumed that he was, perhaps, the head of the logging operation. He pulled something out of his coat pocket and began speaking into it. The owl listened in on his speech.

" _Where the heck is everyone?...Attacked? By what?...What are you people, men or mice!?...Bombed?...Nuts?...That's absolutely insane...You idiots better not be messin' with me. I got land to clear out, and nobody's gonna get in my way...No cop is gonna wander all the way out here...Uh-huh...*sigh* Fine...I'll check it out for myself, then..._ "

His words confirmed Ginger's suspicion. This man was indeed running the scheme.

 _And he has no idea what he's in for._ the general said to herself. The boss looked up, then jumped back in shock. His employees weren't kidding around. At first he seemed intimidated by the presence of the army, but his wide eyes soon melted into a disgusting smirk, and he approached the flock.

"You really think you can stop me from what I'm doing here?" he taunted. "This is my land. My jungle. And I can do whatever I want with it. A bunch of birds aren't gonna stop me. Just leave while you still can. Heck, you're birds. You don't even know what I'm saying, so why waste my breath?"

Ginger was heavily insulted by his words. They boiled inside her brain before entering her gizzard. She thought Eduardo's harsh words back at the border were bad. They were of no comparison to this. He was not only insulting Ginger. He was openly offending the entirety of the tribes-perhaps even the entire existence of birds themselves-with no clue of what they were capable of. Everybody watched Ginger as she hovered there, nearly a tree's height off the ground, looking at the boss with a menacing glare. Felipe could easily see the rage building in Ginger's eyes again, more intense than he had ever seen it. Nigel rode into the clearing on Charlie's back. Despite having only just arrived, he quickly caught on to what was happening, and Ginger was all but unnoticed.

"Is..." the cockatoo stuttered. "Is she going to-"

"She is," Eduardo replied.

An earsplitting screech broke the silence if the clearing and echoed throughout the grove. The lone human was not only stunned, but temporarily deafened by the sudden noise emitted from the owl's beak. Ginger folded her wings, dove like a lightning bolt from the skies, then flew at an almost blinding speed towards the impaired target, her battleclaws extended and ready to tear flesh.

 _Filthy! Rotten! Racdrop abomination! Glaux blood on your gizzard!_ she screamed in her head as she flew too mad to remember, or care, that humans lacked gizzards.

 _I won't have it! This ends NOW!_


	21. Chapter 20: The Boss Battle

"Agh..." The boss groaned as he slowly began to recover from the shock. "What the heck was-"

He was unable to finish. The human was instantly thrown onto the ground by...something. It was too much of a blur to make it out. His face began to sting. Whatever had been hurled at his face left three bold slashes across the right side of it. It didn't take a genius to figure out that there was something off.

"Something's screwy here," he muttered to himself. Looking up, he began to search for what could have given him the wounds on his face. He looked above him. There, flying perhaps twenty feet above him, was a bird, about the size of the macaws. But it wasn't. He squinted and removed his shades to take a closer look. It didn't look like anything one would naturally find in a biome such as this. As little as he actually did know about the rainforest inhabitants, he knew that this wasn't right. A brown and white bird wearing a metal mask with blade-like spikes running down to the beak, and shiny metal talons to go along with it. It looked like a warrior of some sort, readying itself for a battle. It made a steep bank, then U-turned back in his direction, its slightly bloodied claws extending. It didn't take a genius to figure out what it was trying to do.

"I don't think so!" The boss grabbed Ginger by the talons just as she was about to rake his eyes out, locking her into melee combat. Ginger glared at the human, her intense blue eyes letting off a paralyzing glow. Her opponent seemed unshaken by her expression. She swung herself around, thrashing about in attempt to escape the boss's grip. Her attempts were in vain, but she had another trick up her wing. The owl charged at his face headfirst, directing the thin spikes on her helmet right towards his eyes.

The boss dodged the attack, but this maneuver seemed to catch him off guard. Therefore, out of being startled, he released Ginger's talons from his hands.

The young general darted about the boss, toying with him, disorienting him, as she searched frantically for an opening. The moment she pinpointed a weak spot, she let loose another surprise attack, only to be thwarted yet again by the human grabbing her armored claws. The two tribes, Unk, the Trainee owls, and Nigel's gang watched in awe as the cycle continued, neither of the fighters gaining the upper hand. Ginger certainly had a lot of gall to be messing with this obviously dangerous human.

"This has been going on long enough," Kludd piped up after what seemed like hours of watching the one-on-one battle, even though it had probably only been a handful of minutes. "I'm going out there!" The Barn Owl lifted his wings and took off in the direction of the fight.

"No, stop!" Felipe called to the soldier.

"Kludd, no! Don't be a hero!" Vaygar screeched.

Their pleas for his return were of no meaning to him. Out in the clearing, his commander was fighting one of the biggest dangers posed to owlkind, and there was no guarantee that she would overpower him.

Kludd watched closely as he headed for the boss. He was only halfway there when he saw him snatch Ginger by the port wing as she was flitting about him. Ginger was thrashing her entire body all over the place trying to free herself, even though she knew it wouldn't do her any good, and that her fate was inevitable. It was then that she heard the familiar shree from her fellow Pure One as he unfolded his battleclaws and launched himself into the human's face. With the release of the Boss's grip, the general fell to the dusty ground. She attempted to join her soldier in the fight, but when she lifted her wings, the one the man had grabbed collapsed in a swelling, painful sensation. In her attempts to flee the boss's grasp, she had twisted it by mistake. Knowing that flight would be impossible, she simply watched as her best soldier fought with the valiance of an eagle to avenge her. His heavy metal battleclaws were a blur as they tore across the stunned man's flesh. Blood spattered all over the place, and Ginger watched as the Boss steadily lost his strength. As a finishing blow, Kludd bashed the thick, round, mu metal horns on his brass helm into the enemy's side.

"Ha! Stab and jab!" the owl chanted, not giving a racdrop that the Boss had heard him clear and loud. The man staggered to his feet, eyes wide, and blood beginning to stream slowly from the puncture wounds on the side of his abdomen. He looked at the hovering owl that had finished its assault on him, then at the one on the ground, who stared at him with a fierceness he had never before seen in any bird, especially behind her battle mask.

"I'm going crazy..." he said to himself. "This is...This is all..."

The Boss looked up in his disoriented state, and saw the hundreds of macaws, both red and blue, that made their abode in the jungle canopies. And they looked no less ferocious than the owls that had attacked him.

"No...You better not...Stay back!" he yelled at them, even though none were approaching him. At this point, he wasn't even sure they existed, or if they but a mirage. But the Boss wasn't willing to take a chance.

"I'm getting out of this crazy place! Y'all can keep your land, I ain't havin' this!"

Saying these things, the confused human stumbled toward his automobile, only to find that yet another bird come out from underneath it. It was an off-whitish tone, with a crest of yellow feathers on the back and top of its head, and wearing a very odd getup. It was covered in motor oil, and its tarnished grey beak held up a bunch of broken wires and badly bent car keys. All the while, the bird, stared at him mockingly.

"Oh, you've GOTTA BE KIDDING ME!"

Knowing that his first escape had been thwarted, he simply ran off into the woods, attempting to catch up with the other workmen that had fled the scene. Kludd landed next to his commander, eyeing her seemingly limp wing.

"Well...we won," Ginger announced. "Way to use those claws of yours, Kludd."

"He got you by the wing..."

"Oh, what? This?" Ginger lifted her port wing, flinching a bit due to the pain. "It's just a little sore. Won't be long before I can soar with the rest of you again."

"It's sprained, isn't it?"

Ginger sighed, looking deep into Kludd's bright amber eyes.

"Yeah, it is. But hey, better than a break, am I right?"

"I guess so... "

"Oh, lighten up. It's not even that bad for a sprain." She lifted her wing again to prove it, this time able to keep herself from reacting. "See?"

"Huh...If you say so." Hearing that his leader was not badly injured took a bit of the weight off of his shoulders, though his concern still outweighed his relief. He watched as Ginger scurried over to the macaw clans on foot, removing her battle mask upon reaching them.

"May I have everyone's attention, please! I officially announce that the war against the loggers has been won!"

The clans gave an uprising applause in celebration of their victory. As Ginger looked up at the many macaws that had fought along side each other on the field, she saw that the tribes had been renewed. Willing to cooperate rather than compete, to mingle with instead of battle against...Yes. This kind of peace was what she believed everyone wanted in the first place.

"Ging'!" Ginger turned her head toward the direction of the voice. There was Felipe, landing next to her, Eduardo close behind.

"That was crazy!" The macaw was obviously shaken with excitement. "You were flyin' and Kludd was flyin' and the it was all like BOOM! POW! That was nutso!"

Felipe turned toward the leader of the Blue Tribe, still panting. "Uh...Yeah, Eddie wanted to...say stuff, I guess. Go on."

The old Spix's Macaw slowly approached the owl.

"General," he began. "I honestly don't think I can thank you enough for what you've done here. You brought us all together, you got us all to fight off the loggers, you gave us uses for the nuts and..." His voice faded into a stutter. Upon realizing his lack of speech, the macaw sighed.

"Listen. I know I haven't ever been the most...hospitable or...accepting bird. But I hope that we can all put the past behind us and...just maybe...I don't know...Get along, for once? I know I sound stupid, but I..."

"Hey, Eduardo," Ginger interrupted. "It's cool."

"Please...Just call me Eddie."

"Oh, ho ho!" Felipe blurted. "We're gettin' somewhere here, ain't we?"

"I guess, all I really wanted to say was...I'm...I'm sorry. And...If you think I have a dorky looking buzzcut, that's fine."

"You know somethin' Eddie?" Ginger replied.

"What?"

"I think that buzzcut suits you just fine."

There was a semi-awkward pause before the three leaders burst out laughing.

"We're a crazy flock, aren't we?" Felipe commented.

"Yeah...But hey. Everyone's got some crazy in 'em. Some of us just have a little extra."

"Quite true, my fine brown-feathered friend," Eduardo agreed. "I'd be willing to bet there are plwnty of crazy birds back where you're from too, right?"

"Absolutely." That's when it crossed her mind. She and her troops had been in the Amazon for much longer than they had intended. The following day, they would have to head out and report their findings to the Monarchs.

"Well," Felipe seemed to read the owl's mind. "I guess now that the flocks have been restored, you and your buddies are gonna be leaving soon?"

Ginger looked back at the Scarlet Macaw, a somewhat solemn, but smiling look upon her face.

"Yes."

"Ginger!"

The general swiveled her head around. All of the other owls; Vaygar, Uklah, Phillip, and Unk, were flying in their direction, each of them chanting victoriously.

"That was insane!"

"Long live the jungle!"

"We sure crushed 'em, didn't we!?

Ginger only nodded in response.

"Hey! HEY!"

There was one more voice calling to her. The owl looked behind her to see the familiar form of an off-white cockatoo riding in on his anteater steed.

"Nigel!" she greeted him warmly. "How exactly did you know how to-"

"You learn a few things as a city bird. One of them is that a vehicle can't run right if it's got faulty wiring."

"How did you know which one to cut?"

"I didn't. I just pulled a bunch of 'em until I heard something in the engine snap."

"Oh. Well...Nice work anyway."

"Oh, and um...While you we're away, I was wondering..."

"What? What is it?"

"I...Agh, never mind, let's just get back to the grove first, shall we?."

Ginger nodded, then turned to her troops.

"Alright, birds, let's head back in!" She called out, the flocks responding with obedience.

The two tribes were far into the grove before any of the others reached the edge. They thought, perhaps, it was because of some of them having inability to fly. But they were all more certain that it was just because they would rather have the company of each other as they returned to their nesting grounds to roost, rather than flying off alone.


	22. Chapter 21: Homeward Bound

"Heads high, troops! If we're going start our journey back to the Beaks this evening, we best be prepared for the long flight! I don't want any owls falling headlong into the ocean! Every trainee is to carry a Brazil Nut with them for the trip, so make sure your wings are still strong enough to support you, your armor, and your luggage for a long while. Oh, and speaking of which, we're bringing Nigel with us back to the Kingdoms, so Unk will be towing a raft on a vine for him since he can't fly. Everyone got that? Everyone had better got that because I'm not repeating all of it!"

The six owls were all over the place preparing for the journey back to the Beaks, gathering nuts to bring back and bidding farewell to their new macaw friends. Unk was to reclaim his spot as leader for the trip, Ginger having informed him of the private conversation she had had with Nyra just before departure from their base. None of them were expecting an attack from the loggers, so she explained how important it was that she take over temporarily. Knowing it wouldn't be long before the journey commenced, the Barn Owl flew unsteadily off in search of Nigel, who obviously had to break some bad news to his two accompanies. It wasn't long before she spotted the vested cockatoo confronting the frog and the anteater, so she spiraled down and alighted on a low-hanging branch behind him. She thought it best to remain silent until the ordeal was finished, as not to interfere.

"What do you mean we can't come with you?" the pink splotched frog questioned in a desperate tone.

"I explained it all, already, Gabi. There's no room on the raft for you, and should you ride upon me, your poison would easily lead to my demise. And while Charlie can swim, and, somehow, use his tongue like a propeller, he can't outspeed the owls, and towing him along would cause the owls to quickly lose the strength they need for flying."

While Charlie didn't seem much bothered by the situation, the dart frog was crushed. She had always had an obsessive love for Nigel, and to be torn away from him was simply beyond her belief.

"Come on, Gabi, what makes you think that you and I were actually meant for each other? You're a highly poisonous amphibian and I'm a castaway cockatoo. Where are the similarities?"

Gabi couldn't say. She was speechless with broken heart.

"Listen, Gabi, I'm sure that even Charlie will agree that we should see other people...erm...animals...Whatever, you get the point. Right, Charlie?"

The mute creature nodded. He was indeed in agreement with his mentality.

"Maybe you'll find yourself another toxic frog or something you can smother with smooches...or something like that. It can't be hard to find another frog in a place like this."

Upon hearing the ugly truth, Gabi's tearful look hardened with anger. Sassily, the frog leapt off into the dense jungle, wondering if she would even find someone like Nigel again.

"Well," Nigel and Charlie exchanged glances. "That was rather...melodramatic."

It was then that the cockatoo turned toward his steed.

"Now listen, Charlie," Nigel said to him, looking him in the eye. "I confess that I was never the best master to you. Come to think of it, the only reason it ended up this way was because I went nuts, grabbed your ropes, used them like a harness on you and rode you right out of that freak show back in Manaus. I, for one, feel as though my departure to the Owl Kingdoms will, in a way, make it up to you. Go forth, Charlie, out into the vastness of the jungle in which you belong, and do whatever you wish to your heart's content."

Charlie, who had never been very fond of being Nigel's "steed," nodded once more, then began to trot off on all fours into the bushes. Just before he disappeared through the leaves, the anteater turned toward his former master, let out a whistle, then doffed his bowler hat.

"Good luck to you as well," Nigel bid him as he watched him run out of sight.

"I guess that could've gone worse."

The cockatoo turned around to find Ginger perched on the branch above and behind him.

"Oh, Ginger. How long have you been up there?"

"Long enough," she replied. "My squadron's making some last-minute checks before we head off. You about ready to hit the water?"

"I believe so. How much longer until we leave?"

"Should only be a few more minutes now. I'm off to thank the tribes for their hospitality. And for helping to fight off the loggers."

"Right. Well, I'll meet up with your fellow owls to make sure everything is worked out. Sound good?"

"Yes. I'm off!"

Ginger shot off the branch she on like an arrow, heading towards the border river in search of the two clan leaders.

"Hey! Kid!"

Ginger swiveled her head around. There in a tree behind her was Marco. Ginger tipped her starboard wing and headed towards him, landing softly on the same limb.

"Eheh..." The young owl found this to be a very awkward situation. "So, um...what-"

"I couldn't be more pleased."

Ginger displayed a small smile, glad that things were not so tense between the two of them anymore.

"Felipe told me everything. The way you lead everyone, the way you fought, ah...He told me you already got this from Eddie, but...I'm sorry for the way I treated you during your visit. And I will happily welcome you and your kin with open wings if you ever decide to come back."

The satisfied grin on the owl's face grew slightly wider, and she nodded in agreement.

"Get home safely." Saying these things, the old macaw turned and flew off into the midday Amazon skies.

"Hey, Ging'!"

She saw that Felipe was calling her over to another branch on the same tree a few yards below. Ginger glided to his perch.

"What'd he say? I-I only just got here, and I was afraid-"

"It's fine. We're fine, now."

The clan leader breathed a heavy sigh of relief.

"Alright, good...Um...so...You...You leaving soon?"

"Yeah, we need get back to the Owl Kingdoms and report our findings. I'm sure the Monarchs will be happy with the results of this expedition."

"I bet. Well, it's been fun, but I guess every adventure's gotta end at some point, right? I'll miss you owls being around."

"Same here. But we'll see each other again."

"Yeah, I know. Hey, you sure the Monarchs would like us? It doesn't seem that we're quite as sophisticated as your whole owl society you've got going on."

"I don't think you've got anything to worry about Felipe."

It was then that Ginger paused. She had just hatched an idea.

"Um...Ginger? You still there, pal?"

"Well," she continued, the biggest ever grin on her face. "If you're not sure what the Monarchs would think, why don't you come and find out for yourself?"

"You mean...Come with you guys?"

"Exactly!"

"Oh, that sounds great! Is it okay if I bring along some fighters?"

"That's even better!"

"Alright! I'll gather up some the three best warriors in the clan! And I could probably put my dad in charge while we're gone!"

"Perfect! But hurry. We gotta get a move on!"

"I'm on it!" Felipe jumped off the branch while he spoke, his voice fading as he headed back toward his clan territory. "I won't take long I promise!"

"We'll be on the south-east edge of the grove! Meet us there!" she called out to him. Once the macaw was out of sight, she headed off to meet her troops. As she took off, her wing, still hurting, gave a painful twinge.

 _I hope I'll be able to fly alright._ she said to herself. _Ah, there are plenty of thermals over the ocean. It'll probably be fine._

* * *

 _..._

* * *

"Everybody ready to head out?" Unk asked as the ten other birds lined up in front of him.

"We're ready whenever you are," Felipe responded. He turned to the three warriors he had decided to bring along. "Are you guys ready?"

"As we'll ever be, Felipe!" his two brothers announced. The third macaw remained silent, only responding with a light nod.

"Who's the third guy?" Ginger asked.

"Oh, that's Aloisio. He doesn't say much, but he sure can pack a punch."

"Well, that should be useful when demonstrating to the Monarchs."

"You ready, Nigel?"

"As I'll ever be."

Unk and Aloisio, the strongest among the group, had agreed to carry the flightless cockatoo by the talons until they reached the shore. There, they would make him the promised raft and use it to tow him across the ocean to the Owl Kingdoms.

"Alright, birds, let's move! Homeward bound!"

With a swift flap of his powerful wings, the Horned Owl took off in the direction from which the Pure Ones came. He flew right along side Aloisio, grasping Nigel's starboard foot in his talons, and the macaw clutching the other. The others made haste in following them, flying in a boomerang formation not far behind. Ginger, who was in the middle of the array, turned to Felipe, who was right to her port side.

"Hey, Felipe!"

"Yeah? What is it?"

"...Thanks. For all your help."

"Heh..." The Scarlet Macaw gave her a genuine smile. "...Right back atcha."

The friends flew onward. Ginger's wing still ached, but the thoughts of the welcome she would receive upon reaching home drowned the pain almost to the point of oblivion. They had completed their mission, and not only had they helped the clans overcome the impossible, but they had gained wonderful, powerful new friends in doing it. As she looked off into the late-afternoon skies, the young general knew deep within her gizzard that the High Tyto had been right about everything. And she couldn't wait to report their success.


	23. About the Characters

**GINGER** : Barn Owl, _Tyto Alba_ , First born daughter of mates Ethan and Nutmeg, raised in a spruce tree near Chatham, Georgia. Left home at a very young age due to boredom and being constantly annoyed by her brother Felix, found and rescued by members of the Tytonic Union of Pure Ones, now among their ranks.

 **ETHAN** : Barn Owl, _Tyto Alba_ , Ginger and Felix's father, husband of Nutmeg.

 **NUTMEG** : Barn Owl, _Tyto Alba_ , Ginger and Felix's mother, wife of Ethan.

 **FELIX** : Barn Owl, _Tyto Alba_ , Ginger's younger brother, fledgling, constantly annoyed Ginger to the point of her leaving, found and rescued by members of the Tytonic Union, now living at St. Aegolius Academy for Orphaned Owls in the St. Aegolius Canyons.

* * *

THE PURE ONES

* * *

 **NYRA** : Barn Owl, _Tyto Alba_ , Queen of the Tytonic Union of Pure Ones, mate of the High Tyto, commander of the Trainee Owls.

 **METAL BEAK** : Greater Sooty Owl, _Tyto Tenebricosa_ , High Tyto, founder, leader and king of the Tytonic Union of Pure Ones, Nyra's mate.

 **JATT** : Long-Eared Owl, _Asio Otus_ , Pure One and St. Aggies patrol, cousin of Jutt.

 **JUTT** : Long-Eared Owl, _Asio Otus_ , Pure One and St. Aggies patrol, cousin of Jatt.

 **VALDIMORE** : Eurasian Eagle Owl, _Bubo Bubo_ , slipgizzle of the Tytonic Union who helps Ginger leak information from Ga'Hoole to the Pure Ones, now leader of the Slipgizzle Chaw.

 **KLUDD** : Barn Owl, _Tyto Alba_ , member of the Trainee Owls, best fighter of the five.

 **VAYGAR** : African Grass Owl, _Tyto Capensis_ , member of the Trainee Owls, best navigator of the five.

 **PHILLIP** : Greater Sooty Owl, _Tyto Tenebricosa_ , member of the Trainee Owls, best tracker of the five.

 **UKLAH** : Barn Owl, _Tyto Alba_ , member of the Trainee Owls, smartest of the five.

 **UNK:** Great Horned Owl, _Bubo Virginianus_ , pit guardian in St. Aggies, leads Ginger and her troops to the Amazon.

 **NIGEL:** Sulfur-Crested Cockatoo, _Cacatua Galerita_ , vagabond, sought revenge on Blu for hindering his flight capabilities, accepts an offer to join the Tytonic Union.

* * *

THE GUARDIANS OF GA'HOOLE

* * *

 **BORON** : Snowy Owl, _Bubo Scandiacus_ , King of the Guardians of Ga'Hoole, greatest threat to the Tytonic Union.

 **BARRAN** : Snowy Owl, _Bubo Scandiacus_ , Queen of the Guardians of Ga'Hoole, Boron's mate.

 **SOREN** : Barn Owl, _Tyto Alba_ , leader of the Band, Kludd's younger brother.

 **GYLFIE** : Elf Owl, _Micrathene Whitneyi_ , navigator of the Band, Soren's best friend.

 **DIGGER** : Burrowing Owl, _Speotyto Cunicularious_ , tracker of the Band.

 **TWILIGHT** : Great Grey Owl, _Strix Nebulosa_ , warrior of the Band.

 **ALLOMERE** : Great Grey Owl, _Strix Nebulosa_ , leader of the Search-and-Rescue Chaw at the Great Ga'Hoole Tree, secretly a slipgizzle of the Tytonic Union that leads his Guardian Chaw to their fate.

* * *

THE RED MACAW CLAN

* * *

 **FELIPE:** Scarlet Macaw, _Ara Macao_ , leader of the Red Clan, forms an alliance with the Pure Ones.

 **CAESAR:** Scarlet Macaw, _Ara Macao,_ trained warrior, Felipe's younger brother.

 **MARIO:** Scarlet Macaw, _Ara Macao_ , trained warrior, Felipe and Caesar's younger brother.

 **MARCO:** Scarlet Macaw, _Ara Macao_ , former leader of the Red Clan, is skeptical of the Pure Ones upon their arrival.

* * *

THE BLUE MACAW CLAN

* * *

 **EDUARDO:** Spix's Macaw, _Cyanopsitta Spixii,_ leader of the Blue Clan, Jewel's father.

 **JEWEL:** Spix's Macaw, _Cyanopsitta Spixii,_ newcomer to the Blue Clan from Rio de Janeiro, Eduardo's long lost daughter.

 **BLU:** Spix's Macaw, _Cyanopsitta Spixii,_ newcomer to the Blue Clan from Rio de Janeiro, Jewel's mate.

 **BIA:** Spix's Macaw, _Cyanopsitta Spixii,_ Blu and Jewel's intellectual daughter.

 **CARLA:** Spix's Macaw, _Cyanopsitta Spixii,_ Blu and Jewel's eldest daughter.

 **TIAGO:** Spix's Macaw, _Cyanopsitta Spixii,_ Blu and Jewel's son.

 **ROBERTO:** Spix's Macaw, _Cyanopsitta Spixii_ , Eduardo's best wingman.


	24. Preview Page

Keep your eyes peeled for the next issue!

 _Ginger's Adventures #5: Ginger and the American Feathered Force_

History repeats itself when Ginger is separated from her travelling companions  
by a violent storm. Her wing still injured from her battle with the logger boss,  
she succumbs to the wind and wave, and is certain that she will die.  
It turns out, however, that death would have been preferred over the  
actual circumstances.

Ginger's worst fears are realized when she finds herself back in the very  
place she hatched; the state of Georgia, and her saviors are members of  
a classified militia of Bald Eagles known as the American Feathered Force.  
Upon her arrival, they are suspicious of her being a spy sent by their  
sworn enemies, the Korean Shredders, but eventually, she is cleared, and approved  
for departure. But right when Ginger is about to leave for the Beaks, the  
Shredders launch an attack upon the area, holding scores of innocent birds captive  
and set on executing them. It's up to Ginger to help the A.F.F rescue the  
hostage civilians, but will they succeed without being discovered by the  
Shredders, or will they be taken down by the malicious enemy forces?


End file.
